


The New Normal

by vesaldi



Category: Quantum Break (Video Game)
Genre: Anxiety, F/M, Spoilers, fixit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2019-08-28 20:34:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 48,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16730178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vesaldi/pseuds/vesaldi
Summary: In 2016, Jack Joyce and Paul Serene shattered time itself, creating the fracture and distorting the entire timeline. Jack vowed to fix the fracture and make things right, but victory came at too high a cost. With help from an unlikely ally, Jack tries to correct the timeline once and for all. But after all is said and done, can he even go back to the life he had before?This fixit story follows Jack and Beth (and sometimes Will and Paul!) as they navigate the world after fixing the fracture for good.





	1. Chapter 1

> _Jack Joyce had seen the end of time. Both Paul and Beth had warned him about it, and he’d always thought their descriptions were an exaggeration. But now that he’d seen it for himself, he understood._
> 
> _Time had stopped completely. In the short time since the fracture, Jack had adapted to - even become accustomed to - the stutters, the echoes time. But at the end of time, there was no echo. The streets were lined with cars, people, animals, all perfectly frozen in time. He had never heard such pure silence. Eerie could not even begin to describe it. It all began when Jack and Will fixed the fracture. When Jack had first returned to 2016, after watching Paul execute Beth in Will’s lab, he had done what needed to be done - fixed the fracture and saved the world… or so he thought. It was naïve, he realized in hindsight, to think the fracture was fixed in 2016 when both Paul and Beth had already seen the end of time._
> 
> _So Jack and Will came to the only reasonable conclusion - the fracture still existed, and could only be fixed at the end of time. It wasn’t until Paul showed up at his doorstep that Jack realized the fracture wasn’t the only problem that needed solving._

**December 6, 2016, 3:00pm**

"Jesus!" Jack shouted as he jumped back from the figure before him, nearly tripping over a chair. It was _Paul Serene_. The same Paul he was sure he'd killed not two months ago.

"Miss me, Jack?" Paul asked, his mouth twisting into a slight smile. Jack fumbled through the drawers of a nearby side table. Where was it? Where _was_ the damn thing? "Jack, I'm not here to fight you. Let's call a truce."

 _There it was_. Jack pulled a pistol out of the open drawer and leveled it at his former friend, clenching his jaw angrily as he stared at the phantom before him. " _How are you here? I killed you!_ "

"I can't be killed," Paul told him calmly, "and neither can you, for that matter."

"Christ, Jack, is that Paul?" Will exclaimed from the nearby doorway.

Paul turned to look at the intruder. "Good, you're here." He turned his attention back to Jack. "Put the gun down so we can talk."

"Like I'd ever trust you," Jack spat back, pushing himself to his feet while keeping the gun trained on Paul. "Give me one reason I should listen to you."

"Because I was wrong," Paul admitted, "but so were you."

"What do you mean?" Will asked.

"I was wrong about the fracture," Paul continued. "You proved that when you sealed it."

"But?" Jack asked.

"But that's just it," Paul told him. "It's _not_ sealed. Not permanently, anyway."

"You haven't explained _how_ you're here to even make these wild claims," Jack reminded him.

Paul chuckled lightly. "Chronon syndrom."

Will narrowed his eyes. "What about it?"

"I thought the end state of chronon syndrome was a death sentence," Paul explained, "but I was wrong. We called them chronon disrupted lifeforms - shifters, if you will. Violent, aggressive things. Monsters."

"But?" Jack asked again impatiently.

"But then I found out Martin Hatch was one of them."

Jack wasn't expecting that. "You're kidding."

"Hatch was playing me from the beginning," Paul told him, his voice lined with anger. "He wasn't trying to help Monarch save the world, he was trying to _end the world_."

"Why would he do that?" Will asked.

"Because shifters can only thrive in stutters or the zero state."

"How do you know all this?" Jack demanded.

"Because I'm a shifter, Jack."

Jack finally lowered the gun. "Why are you here, Paul? What do you want?"

"I want what I've always wanted - to fix this."

"I thought you didn't believe the timeline could be changed."

"It can't," Paul replied, "but what I failed to realize is that the end of time is not the end of the _world_. The end of time is the only place we can fix the fracture for good."

"We already know that," Will told him.

"But what you don't know is what the end of time is like," Paul replied. "Only three people in this world have ever seen it, and you'll need the two who aren't trying to destroy everything to help you."

"Two...?" Jack asked. No, he couldn't mean...

"Me, and Beth Wilder."

"You _killed_ her, remember?" Jack growled, feeling his grip on the lowered pistol tighten.

Paul laughed. "Like you killed me?"

A lump formed in Jack's throat. "Are you saying... she's alive?"

"In a sense," Paul told him. "The fascinating thing about being timeless is you truly cannot escape the march of time, one way or the other. Without the control you and I had built up, the burst of chronon radiation she absorbed was so strong it turned her almost immediately. Her existence was instantly fractured across the timelines. Killing her at Ground Zero destroyed just one instance of her being."

"Bullshit," Will shouted from the doorway.

"Jack believes me," Paul said. "He has to, to cling to that one tiny bit of hope."

"Why _should_ I believe you?" Jack asked.

"Because I killed Martin Hatch, and that bastard is still CEO of Monarch," Paul told him. "Everything I've done was what I thought was necessary to preserve humanity. And I was wrong about everything. But now that I know the truth, we can finally fix it."

"Why do you want Beth's help?" Will asked skeptically. "You've seen the end of time. You wouldn't need her."

"That's... true," Paul agreed hesitantly. He paused for a moment, as if considering his next words - something Jack had never seen him do before in his life. "I owe it to you, Jack."

Jack took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. He wanted to believe that everything Paul was saying was true. He wanted to believe he could save Beth, but he was _afraid_ to believe. If Paul was lying, it would break him. But could he afford _not_ to take the risk?

"Let's say for a moment that I believe you," Jack began, setting the gun down on the table. "What do you suggest we do next?"

"I can show you how to fix the fracture at the end of time, but without a cure for chronon syndrome, you and I will remain shifters forever."

"Me?" Jack asked. He'd almost missed it when Paul said _he_ couldn't be killed either. "You mean I'm..."

"Going to become a mindless time-warped creature?" Paul finished for him. "Yes, eventually. And eventually you may learn to control it, as Martin and I have. Or you may not."

"Or I 'may not'?" Jack repeated. "So you're saying Beth is a shifter, but she 'may not' be able to control it?"

"Which brings me to my next point," Paul added. "We need to find a way to subdue her."

"And when you say 'we' you mean me," Will said with a sigh.

"Contact Sofia Amaral," Paul told him. "She was working on a cure when Martin cut her funding. She was close."

"Sofia and I didn't really part on the best of terms the last time we met," Jack told him.

"Tell her I sent you," Paul suggested.

"As if she'll believe that."

"She will," Paul assured him. "Trust me."

"Trust you," Jack scoffed. "Fine. But what about Beth?"

"I can find her," Paul assured him, "but until we can contain and control her, the effort would be wasted."

"I guess my work's cut out for me then," Will said.

"Paul, if you betray me again-"

"I won't this time, Jack," Paul promised. "I know my word is worthless, but... I am sorry, for everything."

"We'll see about that," Jack returned. "Let's get to work."


	2. Chapter 2

> _For once, Paul had been right. About everything._
> 
> _Sofia had agreed almost instantly to help Will find the cure for chronon syndrome. It took two years, but the two of them finally developed a cure. What Paul hadn't told them was that Hatch would retaliate. Maybe it should've been obvious that the man pining for the end of time would violently oppose them the closer they got to saving the world._
> 
> _Working together for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, Jack and Paul were able to destroy Hatch, rescue Beth, and finally fix the fracture for good. Unlike his attempt in 2016, fixing the true fracture also corrected the timeline. Every change, every action, undone. For everyone but the three of them, it was as if the fracture had never occurred, and they found themselves back in Riverport in 2016. Back where it all started._
> 
> _Though they would never remember crafting it, Paul was able to use Will and Sofia's cure to finally reverse the chronon syndrome for the three of them. Finally, it was over. They could get back to living normal lives, if that was even possible._

**October 25, 2016, 9:30am**

"I'm worried about her, Jack."

"Yeah..." Jack replied.

It had been two weeks since they finally sealed the fracture at the end of time. When it was done, the three of them had found themselves suddenly back at the Riverport University, right where they started and with all of their memories intact. The room that had once housed the University time machine was empty. When Jack had finally reunited with Will, it became clear that fixing the Fracture had changed more than just the last two years. It had changed  _everything_ all the way back to 1999. No time machine, no countermeasure, no Fracture. Everything was exactly as it should have been.

Except for Beth. With Paul's help, they were able to track her down. It took days to find her, and when they finally did she was cowering alone in an alley in the middle of the night. Curing the chronon syndrome had helped, a bit, but she was still in bad shape. When Jack had offered to take her home, Beth had nearly collapsed. "I can't be alone again," she had cried. So Beth and Jack moved in with Will. Jack had told him everything, and though none of it had happened for _him_ , Will believed every word without hesitation.

"I don't know if she's slept," Will continued, looking down at his still full cup of coffee.

"If you had seen what we've seen, you wouldn't be sleeping much either," Jack told him, briefly glancing at the doorway out of the kitchen. He couldn't see Beth from where he was, but he knew she was sitting on the couch, just as she had been for the last several hours. Will had found here there when he woke up. She had just been sitting alone, in the dark, staring at the TV. It hadn't even been turned on.

"Maybe we should have her talk to someone about it," Will suggested.

"Oh that's a _great_ idea," Jack said with a snort. "I'm sure it would go over _really_ well when she told them how she was a time traveler from the future."

Will sighed, then took a long sip of his coffee. "Well, we have to do _something_."

"It's gonna take time," Jack told his brother. "I... I haven't really been sleeping much either."

"Well, maybe _you_ should talk to her," Will urged, motioning toward the living room with his head.

"Yeah..." Jack agreed hesitantly. "I want to help, but I just... I don't what to say."

"Take it from a guy who's never been able to say anything," Will said. "Just say _something_."

Jack's eyes lit up. "That's brilliant."

"What?" Will asked in confusion. "That didn't seem particularly insightful."

"You're _brilliant_ ," Jack repeated with a grin, jumping up from his chair and heading for the stairs. After a quick search of his bedroom, he found what he was looking for. He barrelled back down the stairs and moved toward the living room.

As Jack entered the room, Beth briefly glanced toward him before looking away. Jack quietly stepped around the couch and sat beside her. The light from the TV washed over the two of them - Will had turned it on earlier in the morning - and Beth made no move to acknowledge his presence.

"I have something for you," Jack said softly. After a moment, Beth slowly turned to face him, and as he held up the object in his hand her eyes softened.

"Your giraffe...?" she asked softly.

"It always helped Will," Jack told her, motioning for her to take it. She reluctantly reached out and took the toy, setting it in her lap and staring at it for several long moments.

"I'm afraid," Beth finally admitted. "All the time."

"Afraid of what?"

"Afraid that none of this is real," she told him. "That everything will disappear again. That I'll be alone again. That we'll still fail."

Jack looked down, sighing lightly to himself. "You know, I felt a little bit like that after my parents died. Even though I had Will, he was... distant. I felt alone. I tried to withdraw, to protect myself, but..." Jack looked back up at her. "You know it doesn't work. If you try to protect yourself by keeping people out, you just end up alone, and yeah, sure, maybe other people can't hurt you, but you're still alone."

"I just... I can't..."

"If you try to protect yourself from being alone by keeping everyone away, you're still alone," Jack told her with a shrug, then his serious expression changed to a smirk. "Hey, if you want to be alone _together_ I've got plenty of time to spare."

"Time," Beth repeated with a light laugh, and the first smile he'd seen on her face in weeks.

"We've got lots of it now," Jack reminded her. He reached to the coffee table to pick up the TV remote. "And trust me, you can do better than old reruns of Golden Girls."

"Excuse you," she objected, snatching the remote from him.

Jack laughed. "I suppose, given your taste in music, I shouldn't be surprised by your taste in television."

Beth laughed lightly as she turned the volume up. There was an awkward silence between them for several minutes. "Hey Jack."

"Yeah?"

"I know I haven't made things easy," Beth told him softly, avoiding eye contact. "Thanks for letting me stay here."

"Hey, Will and I owe you. Taking care of you is the least we can do." Jack turned toward the TV and propped his feet up on the coffee table in front of the couch. "So if you're going to make me binge this with you, can we at least start from the beginning?"

Beth chuckled and handed him the TV remote. "Take it."

"How do you know I won't change it to something else?" Jack asked with a smile.

"Because," Beth told him. "I trust you."


	3. Chapter 3

**November 8, 2016, 8:45pm**

For a man who had literally broken time itself, Jack sure checked his watch a lot.

"Are you bored?" Beth asked.

"What?"

"You've checked your watch six times in the last hour," she told him with a frown.

"No, not bored," Jack told her. "I just... you know how binge watches go. One second you're on episode two and the next it's been three days and you smell like old corn chips."

"We can change it to..." she paused for a moment. "I don't know, what do _you_ watch?"

"It's fine, I'm invested in the lives of these witches now." Jack told her with a chuckle, reaching down to grab his drink. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he'd already seen every single episode of Charmed. Four times.

"Okay, good," Beth said, turning her attention back to the TV. "Wouldn't want to miss Prue turning into a man."

Jack quite nearly did a spittake.

"Shit, Jack, are you okay?" Beth asked, quickly moving to help him. He put a hand up as he tried to catch his breath.

"Fine," he choked. "I'm fine. Just... went down the wrong pipe..."

"You sure...?"

Jack gave her a thumbs up as he continued to cough.

Beth picked up the remote and paused the TV. "You need to be more careful," she told him. "After all we've been through, if your cause of death was 'Pepsi inhalation' it'd be pretty embarrassing."

"It'd be really embarrassing for people to think I'm a Pepsi person, I agree," he replied, pleased to see her smile.

It had been two weeks since their heart to heart on the couch. Jack was pretty sure Beth was just avoiding most of her problems by watching hours and hours of Netflix, but it was definitely an improvement over staring at a blank TV in the dark. Since she couldn't very well go see a therapist, they'd have to make do with what they had.

Jack checked his watch again. It was nearly 9:00.

"What's wrong?" Beth asked.

"Will was supposed to be home an hour ago," Jack told her, looking back down at his watch. "I should... I should really go find him."

He could see Beth physically tense. She was fine as long as someone was in the house, but any time Will and Jack both left she would regress. One day when Jack had stepped outside for a few minutes to take out the garbage, he had come back inside to find Beth curled up on the couch in the fetal position. It had taken nearly ten minutes to calm her down.

"Beth, he could be lost," Jack explained. "I can't just wait for him to come home."

She drew in a shaky breath. "I know, I just..."

Jack considered his options for a moment. If he went looking for Will and left Beth behind, who knows what state she'd be in when he got back. Neither of them had left her alone in the house longer than ten minutes since they had fixed the fracture. On the other hand...

"You could, uh, come with." Beth's expression went blank, and Jack couldn't tell if she was terrified of the idea of leaving the house or if she was just thinking.

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Jack," she finally said.

"I _have_ to go find Will, and if I leave you here-"

"Damn it, Jack, I know, alright?" Beth shouted in frustration. "I _know_ I'm a mess, I know, I just..."

"Hey, Beth, look at me," Jack said, taking her face in his hands and forcing her to look at him. "You are not a mess."

"That's sweet, Jack, but we both know you're full of shit," she replied, brushing away his hands. "I just... I don't think I'm ready yet."

"Beth, I can't just-"

Both of their heads turned as they heard the familiar sound of the front door unlocking. "Hey, I'm home."

" _William Joyce!_ " Jack shouted as he burst into the kitchen. Will stopped dead in his tracks, his jacket half-off.

"What?" Will asked.

"What?" Jack repeated. "Do you know how late you are?"

"Ah, I hadn't checked the time."

"Jesus, Will, I almost went out looking for you!" Jack sighed. "Look, text me next time at least, okay? Or call, if you have to."

"I'm sorry, Jack."

Jack walked back toward the living room and peeked his head through the doorway. Beth was gone. _Probably went upstairs to escape the shouting_ , he thought to himself. And she'd been doing so well...

"I'm sorry, Jack," Will repeated from behind him. "How's she been doing today?"

"She was doing great until I had to drop the bomb that I might have to go out _looking_ for you," Jack grumbled with far more ire than he had intended. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Look, I'm sorry. It's not your fault."

"I know you're just frustrated," Will told him, patting him on the shoulder before turning around and opening the refrigerator. He grabbed a Coke and handed it to Jack before picking one up for himself. "Have you told her yet that you can recite every line of that TV show from memory?"

"No," Jack replied, laughing in spite of himself. "And you better not tell her, either."

"My lips are sealed," Will promised, plopping down on the couch and grabbing the remote. "But we both know at some point you'll blow your own cover."

"You let me worry about that," Jack said, sitting down next to him and snatching the remote from his brother's hands. "And I just had to watch six hours of Charmed, so it's my turn to pick the show."

"As long as it's not Buffy," Will replied.

"If I watch Buffy without her, I think Beth would kill me," Jack laughed. "Now Angel, on the other hand..."

Will just groaned.


	4. Chapter 4

**November 9, 2016, 3:07am**

Jack padded barefoot down the stairs as quietly as he could. It was a hair past 3am and he'd been trying to fall back to sleep for at least an hour. Finally, he'd given up and decided to raid the fridge for a snack.

He turned the corner into the kitchen and opened the fridge, pulling out the milk and gently setting it on the counter. He pulled a bowl out of the cupboard next to him and opened the pantry to check his options. _Do I feel fruity or chocolatey tonight?_ Always chocolate.

Jack reached up and grabbed the box of cocoa puffs from the top shelf and poured them into his bowl until it was nearly full. He unscrewed the cap from the milk jug and poured in just enough milk to risk his midnight snack spilling out the side. He quickly put the milk back in the refrigerator and grabbed a spoon.

He leaned back against the counter, bowl and spoon in hand, and began to shovel the overprocessed breakfast delicacy into his mouth. He sighed happily as he crunched through a mouthful of chocolatey balls, trying to forget the dream that had kept him awake.

Jack had just shoveled another spoonful into his mouth when he looked up to see Beth staring at him from the kitchen entrance. He could feel his cheeks flush as she gave him a quick once-over, her eyebrow arched in curiosity. He was suddenly very keenly aware that he had come downstairs in nothing but a white t-shirt and his boxers.

Reflexively Jack grabbed the box of cocoa puffs and held it in front of him, as if it was going to hide anything. At this point, Beth was trying so hard not to laugh at him that he felt ready to melt right into the counter itself.

"Beth, you're... here," he stammered. "In the kitchen. With me."

"I am," she replied, clearly holding back a chuckle. "I didn't think you'd be the bashful type."

Jack chuckled nervously. "You just... caught me by surprise, that's all," he lied, making no move to return the cereal box to the counter.

"I couldn't sleep," Beth said after an awkward moment of silence.

"Me either," Jack told her with a smile, still holding the box in front of himself. "I hope it wasn't our fault you couldn't sleep."

"It's fine," she assured him. She hadn't denied that Jack and Will's argument was what kept her up, but she didn't seem angry.

"You doing okay?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, but I don't think I'll be sleeping much tonight," she told him. "Hey, you want to play some cards or something?"

"Uhhh..." Jack looked down at the cereal box. "Sure, let me just, uh, put some pants on." He paused. "Because it's... cold."

Beth, who was wearing a tank top, smiled and gestured toward the stairs. "I'll just wait here for you then."

 _She's not going to move_ , Jack thought to himself with a sigh. She was enjoying this a little too much. With a quick smile of his own, he quickly deposited the cereal box on the counter and nearly dashed for the stairs. In record time he had pulled on a pair of flannel lounge pants and made it back downstairs.

"So, what card game did you want to play?" he asked as he stepped into the living room. "I've got some Magic cards upstairs."

Beth, who was rifling through the draws in one of the small side tables next to the TV, stopped and looked over her shoulder. The quizzical look on her face told Jack that she was not, in fact, interested in playing Magic the Gathering.

"It was just a joke," Jack told her with a nervous laugh. It was not a joke.

"I was thinking something with a _regular_ deck of cards," Beth clarified with a judging smirk, turning back to the drawers.

"Bottom drawer on your left," Jack offered, sitting down at the end of the couch and pulling the coffee table closer. Beth sat down at the other end of the couch and began to shuffle the cards. "What are we playing?"

"Bullshit," she told him, continuing to shuffle.

"Bullsh- why am I not surprised?"

Beth glanced at him, smiled, then continued to shuffle.

"I'm sure there's _no_ chance that you, a trained and experienced soldier, are extremely good at bluffing."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," she said as earnestly as she could manage.

Jack was not fine. Jack had lost five games in a row. Which was _all_ the games. Beth was trying not to be smug about it, but he could tell she was enjoying herself.

"You're having too much fun," Jack accused.

"I resent that accusation," she replied, straight-faced. She placed three cards face down on the deck. "Three fives."

"Bullshit," Jack said firmly. Beth looked him in the eye, blinked twice, then turned the cards over. "Three fucking fives, are you serious?"

" _Son of a bitch!_ "

They both turned toward the basement door, just in time to hear a gloriously loud crash.

"What is he doing down there?" Beth asked curiously.

"Probably building another time machine," Jack offered with a shrug and a smirk.

Beth stared at him, and for a moment Jack was worried he'd crossed the line. He was relieved to see her face break into a smile. "Not funny, Jack."

"I can't be funny all the time," he replied with a shrug.

"I think all that winning wore me out enough that I can get back to sleep," she told him, reaching down to tidy up the pile of cards.

"I'll get it," Jack offered. "Go get some sleep."

"Thanks Jack," she said, getting up from the couch and walking toward the stairs.

Jack reached over to grab the mess of cards on the coffee table, but stopped as Beth passed him. She bent down until her face was inches from his.

"I would've beaten you at Magic too," she whispered in his ear. Jack could see her smiling out of the corner of his eye before she stood up and continued toward the stairs.


	5. Chapter 5

**December 5, 2016, 6:30pm**

"You're ready for this."

Beth looked unconvinced. "Jack, I don't know..."

"You're _ready_ ," Jack assured her. "You've been doing great, and I'll be with you the whole time."

Jack had been trying to convince Beth that she was ready to go out into public for days. She hadn't set foot outside the house since she had been cured of the chronon syndrome. Just getting her to and from Paul's lab had been a trial, and despite not having symptoms since the cure was administered, quick movements, loud sounds, and bright lights still triggered an aggressive response, just as it had when she'd been a shifter. Deprogramming that response was still a work in progress, but Jack was confident she was ready for a field test.

"Jack..."

"...Beth."

She sighed in defeat. "Okay, sure. What's the worst that could happen?"

Jack smiled victoriously. "It's a Wednesday night, so it should be pretty quiet outside."

The two put on their coats and Jack opened the door. It was snowing. Light fluffy flakes. The kind that looked pretty but weren't going to stick. As they stepped outside, Beth immediately latched onto his arm. To onlookers it would probably have seemed sweet, but Jack knew it was a lifeline. Beth was stepping out into the open ocean, and Jack was her life preserver.

It had taken two years after Paul mysteriously reappeared to find a cure for chronon syndrome. Two long years. Jack had been lucky enough not to show severe enough symptoms, and Paul had learned to control his form, but Beth? Beth had suffered.

Jack had never reached the end stage of chronon syndrome, but Paul had described it to him. Once his chronon syndrome had reached its end point, Paul had become what Monarch had called a chronon disrupted lifeform - a shifter. For years after reaching the end stage, Paul had described his existence as one of constant pain. Any movement or sound was agonizing. Over time, he had learned to control his form, much the way Martin Hatch had. It always made Jack wonder just how long ago Hatch had been exposed.

They'd had to track Beth down. Fixing the fracture had only wiped the time slate clean for those who weren't chronon active. The timeline had been repaired, but Jack, Paul, and Beth remained as they were, albeit in their 2016 forms. Paul and Beth were still shifters, and every memory they had remained; the cure hadn't changed that.

Jack looked down at Beth, who gripped his arm like a vice, as they walked down the barren street. The snow fluttered down slowly, landing in clumps in their hair. Beth didn't seem to notice. Her eyes flitted back and forth as they walked, as if scanning for danger.

"You okay?" Jack asked after a moment. They passed under a street light, and Beth flinched.

"Sure," she told him tersely after a moment. "I'm fine."

Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked. Beth's head whipped around to face the noise, a light, shuddering gasp escaping her mouth.

"It's just a dog, Beth," Jack assured her. He wanted to tell her she was fine, and everything would be okay, but he was beginning to realize that maybe she'd been right all along. The tighter she gripped his arm, the more he realized he was wrong.

And then Beth hit her breaking point.

Jack was so focused on Beth that he didn't hear footsteps behind them. She clearly didn't hear them over his reassurances either. "Excuse me," a voice called from behind them. Jack glanced over his shoulder to see a figure reaching toward them. _Oh shit_. The man placed a hand on Beth's arm, and with lightning reflexes, she immediately whipped around and punched the intruder square in the throat.

"Fuck, Beth!" Jack tried to stop her. Her fist hit him like a truck, and as his vision straightened he could see the horrified expression on her face. The stranger was gone.

For a moment, Jack thought she would bolt. Instead, she stood frozen before him, breathing deeply as she tried to calm herself.

"It's okay," Jack told her, putting his hand up hoping to keep her from moving as he moved closer to her. "You're okay."

"I... I..." she stammered.

"You're gonna be okay," Jack promised, slowly reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder. She flinched slightly, but didn't pull away. He gently pulled her toward him, and could feel a shuddered breath escape as she sank into his jacket. He could hear her ragged breathing as she gripped the back of his coat. "I'm sorry, Beth. Let's go home."

* * *

  **December 5, 2016, 9:45pm**

"This is all my fault," Jack mumbled into his empty mug as he sat at the kitchen table.

"It absolutely is," Will agreed. "What were you thinking?"

Jack had managed to get Beth home without further incident. He had no idea who it was she had assaulted and he prayed the guy didn't call the police. Beth had immediately retreated to her bedroom upstairs, and Jack had decided that giving her some space might be the best - and safest - thing for all of them.

"I just... thought she was ready," Jack said with a shrug. "Maybe I just _wanted_ her to be ready."

"She literally lived through hell, Jack," Will reminded him. "It gonna take more than a couple months to unpack all of that. You can't rush healing."

"I know," Jack admitted. "I _know_. I should've..." He trailed off with a sigh. "I need to apologize to her."

"Well, be careful," Will warned. "If she breaks both of your legs, I'm not taking you to the ER."

Jack laughed in spite of himself. "I'll keep that in mind."

He slowly crept up the stairs, going over and over in his head what he was going to say. Nothing he could think of seemed quite penitent enough.

"Beth?" he asked after rapping lightly at the closed door. Jack could hear her heavy sigh even with the door shut. He hesitated, but figured she would have told him to go away if she wanted him to leave. He turned the knob and pushed the door open.

She was curled up on the bed facing away from the door. Beth quickly glanced over her shoulder as Jack entered, and as she saw him her mouth fell open. "God, I did that to you..."

"Is it that bad?" Jack asked, reaching up to touch his face. He instantly regretted it. "Look, Beth, it's fine."

"No, Jack, it's not fine," she told him exasperatedly, now sitting up on the bed. "None of this is fine."

"Beth, you-"

"I spent _years_ training, Jack," she reminded him. "Now I can't go outside. I can't even be alone for five minutes." She sighed heavily, her gaze dropping to the bed. "I was supposed to save the world, and I can't even save myself! And now I'm just... a burden."

"Hey, you are _not_ a burden," Jack told her, sitting down on the bed next to her. "And you _did_ save the world."

"No, Jack, that was you."

"Don't pretend I would have been able to do any of it without you," Jack chided her. "And you are _not_ a burden to me and Will. Yeah, it's been a challenge, but... you're our family now, and that's what family does."

Beth didn't say anything, which Jack decided to take as a good sign.

"And the other thing I came up here for is, uh, I owe you an apology."

Beth looked up at him. "For what?"

"For not listening to you," Jack explained. "You _told_ me you weren't ready, and I didn't trust your judgment. So what happened tonight... that's on me."

"Was that guy okay?" Beth asked after a brief hesitation.

"Well, he took off like a bat out of hell, so he must've been alright," Jack told her. "I think you scared the shit out of him."

Beth smiled slightly. "Haven't lost my touch completely, I guess."

"I know who I'm calling if I ever need a bodyguard," Jack added. "Well, once you get your fight or flight reflex back under control."

"Sure, rub it in."

"It's a good thing I don't have a job, otherwise this shiner would be pretty hard to explain," Jack said with a smile, pushing himself to his feet. "You going to be alright tonight?"

"I think so," she told him with a nod.

"Alright, then try to get some sleep," he ordered.

"Hey, Jack," Beth called after him as he moved toward the door. He stopped and turned to face her. "Thanks for believing in me when I don't."

"Every time," Jack told her with a smile. "See you in the morning."


	6. Chapter 6

**December 12, 2016, 8:45am**

"Did you buy that pumpkin spice shit again?"

Jack looked up from his coffee mug, mid-sip, with the most innocent expression he could muster. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Will poured himself a cup of coffee, not even attempting to hide his disgust, and sat down at the table with his brother. "I need to be on campus this morning," Will said, eyeing the coffee. "You okay to stay with Beth?"

"Yeah, I guess," Jack replied.

It was almost halfway through December and Jack hadn't been able to get out of the house to do any Christmas shopping. He wasn't religious, and neither was Will, but after their parents had died they had sort latched on to the holiday. They'd never had much money, but finding the perfect gift had always been a way to focus on the positives of the holiday, rather than remembering what they'd lost.

"I can't drink this," Will finally announced, pushing his mug toward Jack with an offended look on his face. "I need to get going, anyway."

"Alright, more for me I guess," Jack replied with a shrug, pulling the second mug toward himself.

"You could always give it to Beth," Will suggested as he reached for his coat.

"Yeah, she doesn't really strike me as a PSL kinda gal," Jack replied with a chuckle.

"Well, I'll be back later tonight," Will said, moving toward the door. "Call if you need anything."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Jack replied with a half-assed wave.

He picked up his coffee mug and poked his head into the living room as he heard the door close behind him. Beth was sitting in Will's run-down teal armchair on the far side of the room, reading.

"If you can tolerate my terrible taste, there's coffee in the kitchen," Jack announced, prompting Beth to look up from her book.

"Thanks, but no thanks," she told him with a smirk, returning to her reading.

"Called it," Jack muttered to himself.

"Hm?"

"Oh, uh, nothing," Jack told her. "Wait, is that..." he narrowed his eyes, peering at the book in her hands. "Are you reading one of Will's quantum physics books?"

"It's better than Twilight," Beth told him with a shrug.

"Hey, the books are better than the movies!" he protested. Beth set the book down in her lap and gave him the judgiest look he'd ever seen on her face. "What??"

"Jack Joyce, you are a mess," she told him with a laugh. "Actually, since you're here, I wanted to ask you a favor."

"Sure, what's up?" Jack asked, setting his mug down on a nearby table.

"I need you to... um... leave."

"You need me to leave," Jack repeated skeptically. "The last time we left you alone, you-"

"I remember," she snapped. "Look, Jack, I need you to trust me."

Jack crossed his arms. He's told himself that next time he would trust her, but now that next time was here he couldn't help but feel nervous about it. But he _had_ promised.

"I guess I could go see Paul," Jack said, rubbing the back of his neck. "He's been hounding me to stop by his office for weeks."

Beth smiled. "Thanks, Jack."

"Hey, text me if you need _anything_." Beth rolled her eyes and waved him away, turning back to her book.

"Well," Jack said to himself, "guess it's time to call a cab."

* * *

**December 12, 2016, 10:15am**

"Jack Joyce, finally," Paul greeted him as Jack stepped into the office.

"Nice place you have here," Jack commented as he sat in a chair opposite Paul's desk. "Not exactly that lab back at the university, but-"

"Fixing time was worth losing it," Paul told him. "Besides, I've always had a knack for this kind of thing."

"Still milking money out of people for a living, huh?" Jack asked with a laugh. "Guess some things never change."

"I feel like I've lived a dozen lives, Jack," Paul told him. "Going to try and live this one right."

"Me too," Jack agreed, with a smile. "Going to see how long I can stay out of jail this time."

"Speaking of staying out of trouble..." Paul trailed off, motioning toward Jack.

He'd almost forgotten about the black eye. "Oh, this?" It looked much better than it had a week ago, but it was still pretty obvious.

"Getting into bar fights?" Paul asked.

"I wish," Jack said under his breath. "This was, ah, an accident."

"Trouble in paradise?" Paul asked with a smirk.

"Don't even start," Jack warned.

"Well as long as you're not running with the wrong crowd - _again_ \- it's none of my business."

"Actually, Paul, I was hoping you could help me out," Jack said after a moment. "It's only two weeks til Christmas, and..."

"Ah yes, I remember the year you bought me a toaster."

"Everybody likes toast," Jack replied defensively.

Paul cocked an eyebrow.

"Okay fine, I suck at gift giving," Jack finally admitted. "Hence, I need your help."

"Jack, you have to get to _know_ people," Paul told him. "Which, as we know, is not one of your strengths."

"Yeah, yeah, so are you going to help me or not?"

"What kind of friend would I be if I turned you away in this, your time of crisis?" Paul asked with a crooked smile.

Jack rolled his eyes. "What should I get for Will?"

"A clock."

"What the fuck, Paul?"

"I couldn't resist," Paul said with a laugh.

"Forget Will," Jack said with a shake of his head. "What about Beth?"

"You want my help picking a gift for the woman I killed?" Paul asked curiously.

"Well the best gift you can give _me_ for Christmas is to stop reminding me you killed her," Jack replied with a glare.

"So, what to gift Beth Wilder, ninja spy extraordinaire," Paul asked thoughtfully. "Hmm..."

"Don't say-"

"Combat boots."

"What?" Jack asked quizzically. "Be serious."

"Brass knuckles?"

"Paul!"

"How about a nice scented candle?"

"Jesus, Paul," Jack said with a huff.

"Jack, I need to let you in on a secret," Paul told him. "I have never once bought you anything."

"Wait, seriously?" Jack asked with a frown. "What about-"

"That's what secretaries are for," Paul told him with a wave of his hand. "In an ironic twist of fate, I am just as bad at giving gifts as you are."

"Well shit," Jack grumbled. "What am I gonna do now?"

"Not give her a weapon," Paul replied with a smile, "which seems like a good thing."

"You are useless, Paul Serene."

Paul shrugged. "I still think combat boots are a nice practical choice."

* * *

**December 12, 2016, 3:25pm**

Jack brushed the snow off his shoulders as he opened the front door, grateful to finally be out of the bitter cold winter air. He stepped inside and closed the door, quickly removing his coat and hanging it up on the hook just outside the kitchen.

"Why does it have to be so damn cold?" Jack muttered to himself, quickly rubbing his ears and willing feeling to return to them. He shivered as he shook the lingering snowflakes out of his hair.

His ears perked up as Jack heard familiar sounds from the living room. He walked down the hall past the stairs and poked his head inside.

"What the fuck, Beth."

She looked up from the couch, smiling and waving him over.

"I told you they were _bad_."

"I took it as a challenge," she said with a shrug, motioning for him to sit next to her. "You're right, by the way. It's awful."

Jack plopped down on the couch next to her. She was wrapped up in a blanket at the far end, eyes locked on the TV. He could tell her time alone hadn't been easy, but she seemed none the worse for wear. _I guess I should trust her more often after all_.

"I can't believe they're playing baseball," Beth complained. "Vampires playing baseball."

"Right?" Jack agreed with a chuckle. "And this isn't even the weirdest scene."

"I spent a lot of time watching TV in the 2000s," Beth told him, "and somehow I completely missed Twilight."

"Lucky you," Jack told her with a chuckle. "I was dragged out to see all of them by friends. They told me the books were better, so I had to find out for myself."

"And the verdict?"

"They are," Jack confirmed. "Marginally."

Beth snorted as two of the characters collided in mid-air. "This is the corniest thing I've ever watched."

"It's terrible," Jack agreed.

"Like that coffee you made this morning," Beth added.

Jack put a hand to his chest, feigning deep offense. "How dare."

"Did she just call him a monkey man?" Beth asked with a scandalized look. "I'm not sure I'm gonna be able to get through this."

"Come on, Beth," Jack laughed. "You said it was a _challenge_."

She sighed. "God forbid I back down from a challenge, I guess."

"Oh god, not you too." The two of them turned to see Will standing at the back of the living room, his hands across his chest.

"Oh, you're back," Jack mused.

"I can't believe you got her watching this crap too," Will complained.

"I can't back down from a challenge," Beth repeated with a sheepish smile.

"Good luck," Will told her with a shake of his head and a half-hidden smile. "I'll be downstairs if you need me."

"Good luck with your science," Jack said with a wave as the door closed behind his brother.

"So how many of these movies are there?" Beth asked as they turned their attention back to the TV.

"Five."

"Five?" Beth exclaimed. "Jesus..."

"You're committed now though," Jack reminded her. "To the _challenge_."

"I hate you, Jack Joyce."

"Hey, you did this to yourself," he laughed.

"If I have to suffer through these, you're suffering with me."

"Naturally," Jack chuckled, propping his feet up on the coffee table. "Buckle up. We've got a long night ahead of us."


	7. Chapter 7

**December 13, 2016, 3:15am**

Jack awoke with a start, and it took him a moment to remember where he was. Still on the couch, as it turned out. He glanced down to see Beth's feet in his lap. She was asleep at the other end of the couch. It appeared they had not quite survived their Twilight marathon.

Jack pulled his phone out of his pocket, careful not jostle his companion enough to wake her. Just past three o'clock. He frowned to himself, knowing there was no way he would be able to get back to sleep after the nightmare that had woken him.

It would be hours before Will woke up, and if they were both lucky Beth would stay asleep for at least a little bit longer. Jack knew she had just as many problems sleeping as he did - more, probably - so the last thing he wanted to do was wake her up prematurely. He gingerly slipped out from under her feet, gently setting them down on the couch as he stood up. He pulled the battered throw blanket off the back of the couch and carefully draped it over Beth, then made a beeline for the kitchen.

Late night cereal sessions seemed to be becoming a habit for Jack. Fruit loops this time. He poured himself a full bowl, placed the milk back in the fridge, then returned to the living room. Instead of retaking his place on the couch, he sat in Will's hideous armchair in the corner.

Jack still had no idea what he was going to do for Christmas presents. He had spent several hours wandering the local mall, hoping some type of clever idea would spring to mind, but considering how tight their finances ran, he just didn't have the money to buy anything exciting.

He knew he didn't have to _buy_ anything. Jack and Will had turned finding the best gift at the right price - often free - into an art form. But after everything they'd been through, Jack felt his artistic prowess waning.

Jack took a bite of his cereal. "Ugh, _stale_ ," he grumbled, wrinkling his nose. His eyes went wide as he remembered Beth was still asleep on the couch on the other side of the room. Jack set the bowl down and quietly padded over to the couch, cautiously peeking over the edge. _Phew, still asleep._

Since he was up, might as well make coffee. Jack walked around the couch and into the kitchen, quietly opening the pantry and reaching for the coffee grounds. He hesitated as he looked at the bag of pumpkin spice grounds, then glanced back toward the living room. With a sigh, he reached for the regular roast. Might as well make something Beth could drink when she woke up.

Jack pulled out his phone while the coffee began to brew and opened up his internet browser. _The perfect gift for the ex-spy in your life_ he typed into google. "Well, that was unhelpful," he grumbled quietly. _What to buy for someone who is extremely violent and has bad taste in music._ "Google, you're failing me."

Jack's phone beeped - the familiar sound of a text message notification.

> **Paul**  
>  I still think combat boots are a great practical gift.  
>  _Tue 3:22 AM_
> 
> **Jack**  
>  youre useless  
>  _Tue 3:22 AM_
> 
> **Paul**  
>  Get her a dog.  
>  _Tue 3:23 AM_
> 
> **Jack**  
>  wtf paul  
>  _Tue 3:23 AM_
> 
> **Paul**  
>  One of those emotional support dogs.  
>  _Tue 3:24 AM_
> 
> **Jack**  
>  im deleting you from my contacts  
>  _Tue 3:25 AM_
> 
> **Paul**  
>  Maybe a chihuahua.  
>  _Tue 3:25 AM_

Jack nearly dropped his phone as he heard a shout from the next room. He dropped it on the counter and dashed to the doorway. Beth was now wide away.

"Hey, it's okay," he said, kneeling down next to the couch and putting a hand on her shoulder. _Please don't punch me_. She reached out and grabbed his shirt with both hands, breathing heavily as she tried to stave off the panic. "You fell asleep on the couch," Jack explained. "It was just a nightmare, Beth."

Beth looked around the room as if trying to confirm Jack's story. Her breathing still came uneven and choppy, but he could tell already that she was starting to calm down.

"You want to talk about it?" Jack asked.

Beth breathed in slowly. "Not particularly," she replied after a moment.

"You want some cocoa puffs?"

"What?" she asked.

"You know, the cereal," Jack explained. "The fruit loops are stale so I don't recommend them."

"Cereal...?" she repeated.

"Don't tell me you don't eat cereal."

Beth peered at him as though he had four heads. "What time is it?"

"Half past three, I think," Jack told her. She finally released her vice-like grip. Jack sat on the coffee table across from her. "Starting to feel better?"

"I should be used to this by now I guess," Beth said with a sigh. "Did I wake you up?"

"No, I was just making coffee."

"At three in the morning?" Beth asked with a quizzical look.

"I, ah, couldn't sleep either," Jack told her with a shrug.

Beth narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you blushing, Jack Joyce?"

"What?" he asked, his voice seeming to jump an octave. "No, why would I be blushing?"

"You have a sex dream or something?" Beth asked with a grin.

"No I did not have a sex dream," Jack assured her with a laugh. "I would've stayed asleep for that."

"I guess we're going to have to rewatch that last Twilight movie."

"Absolutely not," Jack replied, standing up and taking a step toward the kitchen. "Since you're awake, you want some coffee? I made the normal kind."

"Sure," she said. Jack moved back toward the coffee pot, grabbing two mugs from the cupboard and filling them as much as he dared. He slipped his phone into his pocket and grabbed both mugs.

"Here you go," he said, handing one of the mugs to Beth and moving to sit next to her on the couch.

"This mug is very colorful," Beth commented, moving her feet so Jack could sit down. "I'm surprised you have something that's so flor-" She stopped mid-sentence, narrowing her eyes and peering closer at the mug.

_Oh shit, which mug did I give her?_

"Jack..." Beth held the mug up for him to see. "Are there penises on this mug?"

He laughed nervously. "Tell me you wouldn't have bought it."

"Now you're _definitely_ blushing." Beth took a sip from the mug.

"Never going to live this one down," Jack chuckled, pulling his phone back out of his pocket.

> **Jack**  
>  made coffee and accidentally gave beth the dick mug RIP  
>  _Tue 3:32 AM_
> 
> **Paul**  
>  That was the best gift I ever gave you.  
>  _Tue 3:32 AM_
> 
> **Jack**  
>  i hate you  
>  _Tue 3:33 AM_
> 
> **Paul**  
>  You're welcome.  
>  _Tue 3:33 AM_


	8. Chapter 8

**December 25, 2016, 10:30 AM**

"Hey, Beth, you okay?"

Beth blinked and turned toward Jack. "Huh?"

"You spaced out there for a minute," Jack explained.

"I'm fine," she assured him. "I was just... thinking." Jack raised an eyebrow. "It's my first Christmas in a while, Jack."

"Oh, right," he replied sheepishly. He hadn't considered that technically Beth probably hadn't celebrated Christmas in almost twenty years, if not more. He was sure prior to 2010 Will hadn't exactly been the best holiday host. In fact, he had never really asked her exactly how much time she'd spent with Will after she'd gone back in time. "Well if there's one thing that's in right now, it's reboots."

Beth smiled. "I don't think this is the kind of reboot they meant."

"Details," Jack told her with a wave of his hand. He glanced over his shoulder. "Will, what the hell are you doing in there?"

"Be patient," Will ordered from the kitchen.

"That doesn't seem like one of Jack's strengths," Beth called back. She smirked as Jack tossed her a dirty look.

"Will does this every year," Jack explained.

"What _is_ he doing?"

"Making mulled cider," Jack told her. "Except it takes twice as long because he does 'science' to it or something."

"It makes it better," Will shouted back.

"It tastes exactly the same as every other cider I've ever had," Jack whispered to Beth.

"I heard that!"

"Is it always like this with the two of you?" Beth asked with a laugh.

Jack glanced back at the kitchen. "Pretty much. We argue less than we used to, at least."

"Must be nice," Beth mused. "Being an only child has its perks, but..."

"I think I have an idea," Jack replied with a nod. They both turned toward the kitchen as Will finally emerged, precariously carrying three mugs. Jack sprang to his feet and moved toward the entrance to the living room, quickly grabbing two of the mugs. He handed one to Beth and sat back down next to her on the floor.

"It's better than regular mulled cider," Will insisted, sitting in his teal armchair next to the dilapidated Christmas tree.

"It's exactly the same," Jack said, taking a sip.

"Gotta say, I'm with Will on this one," Beth said, gripping the mug with both hands and taking a deep breath. "Smells like heaven."

"That's because two mugs of that'll get you drunk off your ass," Jack told her. "I swear he puts in twice the amount of rum that he's supposed to."

"Because you like it that way," Will reminded his brother.

"I never said that."

"You never _had_ to."

Beth glanced back down at the mug. "You sure it isn't a little early for this?"

"Never," Jack said dismissively with a wave of his hand, taking a sip of the cider. He nearly spit it back in the mug. "Ugh, too much cinnamon."

"No such thing," Beth told him with a frown.

"Just open something," Jack ordered, grimacing and setting the mug down on the floor. Will pushed a package toward Beth.

"Who is this....?" Beth stopped as she read the tag. "Jack, what the hell."

"Oh, is that the one from Paul?" Jack asked, feeling his cheeks flush. "You don't have to open it if you don't want to."

He could see Beth dramatically roll her eyes. "What are the odds it's some kind of IED?"

"I don't think he'd blow _me_ up," Jack said with a shrug. Beth tore off the wrapping and opened the box.

"Combat boots?"

"Oh my _god_ ," Jack groaned.

"These are exactly the kind Monarch had," Beth said, unable to hold back the laugh. "I actually loved those boots."

Beth pulled a slip of paper out of the box, snorting as she read it.

"What does it say?" Jack asked. Beth handed it to him. "This is the only good gift you'll get this year," he read out loud.

"That's probably true," Will agreed.

"The tread looks nice at least," Jack mused. "If you step on his face it'll leave a nice pattern."

"What the fuck, Jack," Beth laughed, tossing a small box to him. "From me."

Jack tore the wrapping off to reveal what very much looked to be a ring box. He raised an eyebrow and looked up at her.

"Open it," she urged with a straight face.

There was no way she bought him jewelry... was there? He slowly opened the box, and as he saw what was inside, his eyes widened with surprised. It was...

"...a cocktail weenie?"

"It took a few years, but I finally saved you one."

"Oh, _that's_ why you wanted those," Will interrupted. Jack and Beth both looked at him. "What?"

The two burst out laughing, much to Will's confusion. "I can't believe you even remember that, Beth," Jack said.

"It's not your real gift," she promised with a smile. "The real one is outside."

Jack blinked. "You didn't graffiti the garage, did you?"

"I did _not_ vandalize your garage," Beth told him annoyedly.

Jack stroked his jaw thoughtfully. "Is it a pony?"

"A-? Jack, seriously."

"What?" He asked with a grin. "Ponies go outside."

Beth sighed dramatically. "It is _in_ the garage. You can check it out later."

Jack smiled as they continued to open gifts. It had been a long time since he'd had a real Christmas too, and he had almost forgotten how nice it was, back when he and Will had gotten along.

It had taken some time to explain everything to Will when they had first fixed the fracture. It had changed everything. Without the fracture, Beth had never gone back in time. Without Beth to set him on the right path, Will had never found out about the end of time or created the countermeasure. Since Will had never created the countermeasure, he had never fallen out with Jack.

Jack, of course, remembered everything, which also complicated everything. Jack and Will's relationship had originally crumbled because of Will's work on the countermeasure, and without it, only Jack remembered their precarious history. Which, naturally, no longer existed.

The whole thing gave Jack a headache.

"Jack, your turn."

Jack turned toward Beth, who held a box out toward him. "From your BFF Paul Serene."

Jack took the box, taking a moment to inspect the tag. "To Jack, from Moneybags."

"Does he really call himself that?" Beth asked, with a frown.

"No, I call him that," Jack told her with a laugh, setting the package down and tearing off the paper. He opened the box and his breath caught in his throat.

"What is it?" Beth asked curiously as Jack pulled it out of the box.

"A peace offering, I think."

Beth narrowed her eyes. "It looks like a goat."

Jack looked at her. "It's a _ram_."

"Jack stole that from a police station," Will explained with a sigh.

Beth quirked an eyebrow. "You stole a hideous ram figurine from a police station?"

"I just love doing crimes," Jack told her sarcastically. He reached over to push a box toward Beth. She picked up the box, quickly tore off the paper, and opened it. Inside was an incredibly aged CD player. She looked up at him with a quizzical look on her face. " _Open it._ "

Beth opened the lid to the CD player. Inside was a CD with "Jack's mixtape" scrawled on the front in sharpie. "You made me... a mixtape?"

"Don't you usually make mixtapes for-"

" _William,_ " Jack said forcefully, quickly silencing his brother.

"Should I be afraid?" Beth asked with a half-smile.

"I feel like you don't trust me," Jack returned. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of earbuds. "The batteries are fresh. Why don't you find out?"

Beth took the earbuds and plugged them in. She turned the CD player on Jack was pleased to see her face slowly break out into a smile. "You did good, Jack Joyce."

"Phew," Jack said, dramatically pretending to wipe sweat from his brow. "I can't guarantee the rest of the songs are any good, but you can let me know."

"Oh don't worry," Beth promised with a smile. "You'll be hearing from me if they're not."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jack's Mix Tape:
> 
> 1\. Africa - Toto  
> 2\. Take Me Home Tonight - Eddie Money  
> 3\. Eye of the Tiger - Survivor  
> 4\. Take On Me - a-ha  
> 5\. Hold the Line - Toto  
> 6\. The Chain - Fleetwood Mac  
> 7\. Head Over Heels - Tears for Fears  
> 8\. In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel  
> 9\. Caught Up In You - 38 Special  
> 10\. Just What I Needed - The Cars  
> 11\. Feels Like The First Time - Foreigner  
> 12\. Crawling - Linkin Park


	9. Chapter 9

**December 25, 2016, 1:37 PM**

Jack laid in bed staring at the ceiling. That last mug of cider had definitely been a mistake. He loved to give Will a hard time about it, but it really _was_ better than other cider. He would never admit it though.

He jumped as he felt his phone buzz in his back pocket.

> **Beth**  
>  what the hell is track 12?  
>  _Sun 1:37 PM_

Jack's face burst into a grin. Time to find out if the gamble had paid off.

> **Jack**  
>  just a little gift from me to you  
>  _Sun 1:38 PM_
> 
> **Beth**  
>  this is some goddamn emo bullshit, jack.  
>  _Sun 1:39 PM_

Jack cackled as he pushed himself up off the bed. He quickly but carefully walked down the hall to Beth's room and knocked on the door.

There was no answer.

Jack frowned. "Beth?"

There was no answer.

"Beth?" he shouted down the stairs, deciding that trying to actually _walk_ down the stairs was not a great idea.

There was no answer.

She wasn't upstairs. She wasn't downstairs. He was sure there was no way she would be in Will's lab in the basement. It was a small house. Where the hell _was_ she? Jack briefly considered texting her to ask, but he wasn't quite ready to admit defeat.

Had he been sober, he probably wouldn't have just walked into her room. But he did. It was empty, of course, but he immediately noticed that the window was cracked. Was she...? No. She wouldn't have gone out the window. ...would she...?

Jack moved toward the window and carefully opened it, poking his head outside. There was makeshift scaffolding set up leading toward the roof.

"Okay, so she would." Jack opened the window wider and climbed out, careful to keep his footing. That last mug of cider had _definitely_ been a mistake. Jack wasn't really surprised that Beth had put all this together; he was just surprised he hadn't _noticed_  it before.

Jack finally pulled himself up over the threshold of the roof. It was a shallow roof with a flat section on top in the center. He could vaguely make out Beth's figure, laying on her back in the middle. He began to move toward her, but as he moved up the incline he felt himself lose his footing.

"Shit!" he shouted. _I am gonna fall off this fucking roof and break my neck on fucking Christmas Day._

"Jack?" Beth said in surprise, pulling the earbuds out of her ears. Jack miraculously managed to recover his balance, sighing heavily in relief. "Jesus Christ, Jack. What are you doing out here?"

"What are _you_ doing out here?" Jack returned, carefully climbing the rest of the way toward her. He sat down as soon as he reached the flat portion of the roof, happy to not be in a broken pile in the snow below.

"I was... listening to your thing," she told him after a moment. "Speaking of which, what the fuck is track twelve?"

"It's Linkin Park," Jack told her.

"It's _awful_ ," Beth countered.

"Was the rest of it okay?" Jack asked with a laugh. "You weren't _supposed_ to like track twelve."

"You did a good job with the rest," Beth confirmed with a smile.

There was an awkward silence for a few moments. "How long have you been coming up here?" Jack finally asked.

Beth sighed loudly. "A few weeks," she told him. "After that... _incident_... I thought I needed to get used to being outside again."

"You could have just sat on the porch," Jack told her with a laugh. Beth looked down. "You didn't want us to know, did you?"

Beth sighed again.

"Look, forget I said anything about it," Jack told her. "I saw what you left me in the garage."

"Did you like it?"

"I distinctly remember you saying you did _not_ vandalize my garage," Jack responded, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It's a _mural_ ," Beth explained. "Technically it's not graffiti _or_ vandalism."

Jack smiled. "A mural can be vandalism."

"I got Will's permission first," Beth told him with a smile, "and as I recall, _he_ owns the house."

"Wow, Beth, just stab me right in the heart next time."

She crossed her arms and stared at him. "Did you _like_ it?"

"I love it," Jack finally admitted with a grin. "You're a really great artist, Beth."

"Yeah, maybe," she said distantly, looking out over neighboring rooftops.

"We'll have to do an art exchange one of these days," Jack suggested. "Although I haven't practiced in a while so you might end up getting some extremely fancy stick figures."

"Draw me some baseball-playing vampires," Beth suggested with a grin.

"Now I _know_ you have better taste than that," Jack said with a laugh. "Anyway, I've got a copy of that disc with an appropriate track twelve for you if you want it."

"God yes."

"Hope you like INXS," Jack told her with a wink.

Beth rolled her eyes. "You're a mess, Jack Joyce."

"Yes, a very _cold_ mess," he added. "And also a tipsy mess."

"A _drunk_ mess," she corrected with a smile. "You want me to help you inside?"

"That'd be great since I already almost fell off the roof once today."

Beth got to her feet and held out her hand. "I swear, if you fall off this roof and take me with you I will go back in time and shoot you."

"That timeline doesn't exist anymore," Jack reminded her as she helped him to his feet.

" _Jack._ "

"Right, no falling off the roof."


	10. Chapter 10

**January 19, 2017, 9:52 AM**

"What's a company with a striped logo?" Beth asked, staring intently at the daily crossword puzzle in the Riverport Herald.

"Adidas?" Jack suggested from the other side of the table.

"Three letters," she clarified, furrowing her brow further.

"IBM," Will offered, not looking up from the research journal he was reading.

Beth scribbled the answer on the puzzle. "You must have never missed a clue with him around."

Jack rolled his eyes, taking a sip of his coffee. "It's not as much fun when you have a walking dictionary spoiling it for you."

"You never did crossword puzzles," Will pointed out with a frown.

"Because _you_ always had them finished before I even woke up!" Jack complained.

"The world's fifth largest eco-"

"California."

"Jesus Christ Will," Jack mumbled.

"What?"

"You could at least let her finish the question."

"You two need to relax," Beth chided before turning her attention back to the crossword. "A three letter word for My Chemical Romance genre...?"

"EMO!" Jack shouted, nearly launching himself out of his chair. Beth and Will stared at him. " _What?_ "

Jack could tell Beth was trying her hardest not to bust out laughing, and Will just shook his head and returned to his journal.

"Reminds me of that time Nick played your stuff for us back in the swimming hall," she mentioned with a smirk.

Jack groaned. "I was hoping you'd forget about that."

"Are you kidding?" she asked with a laugh. "I will _never_ forget that gift."

Beth continued working on the crossword, periodically letting Will give her an answer here and there. Jack couldn't tell if she actually needed the help or was just trying to make Will feel included. All he was sure of was that she had absolutely no idea what My Chemical Romance was. No surprise there.

"Hey Jack, you want to see a movie tonight?" Beth asked as she continued working on the crossword puzzle.

"You mean like on Netflix?" Jack asked.

Beth looked up. "No, like a movie at the movie theater."

"At the movie theater," Jack repeated, cocking his head slightly.

"Yes, Jack, at the movie theater."

"Are you... sure about that?" he finally asked.

Beth set her pencil down and crossed her arms. "I thought you were going to trust me."

"I do!" Jack told her quickly. "I just... I mean, yeah we can go if you want."

"We can go late so there won't be as many people," she explained. "I'm pretty sure I can manage this without assaulting anyone."

"Pretty sure?" he asked with a laugh.

"I am ninety-five percent confident," she said.

"I can live with that," Jack chuckled. "So what did you want to see?"

"You wanted to see that Underworld movie, right?" Beth asked.

Jack stared at her for a moment. "How do you know about that?"

"I follow you on Twitter," she told him with a shrug.

Jack felt his heart jump into his throat. "You _what_?"

"You seem to really love Nick's conspiracy theories," she mused as she filled in another answer on the crossword.

"How did.. how did you...? What's your at?"

"Nice try, Joyce," she laughed. "There's a movie showing at midnight we can go to."

"You're really not going to tell me?" Jack asked with a pout.

"I definitely am not," Beth confirmed with a smirk. "Better watch what you post."

Jack pulled out his phone. "I just need to find whoever's account is obsessed with Toto."

Beth laughed. "You have so little faith in me."

"I'm gonna find you, Wilder," he threatened, scrolling frantically through his follower list.

"Beta...?" Beth read. "Four letters."

"Test," Jack told her. He held his phone out. "This you?"

"Go fish."

"Ugh," Jack grumbled, continuing to scroll.

"Part of the body to slap?" she asked.

"Ass."

"What the hell, Jack?" Beth asked with a laugh. "Four letters."

"Knee?" he corrected. He held his phone out again. "This one?"

"Give it up, Jack." She looked back down at the crossword. "Small and delicate."

"Not Beth." He held the phone out again. "Speaking of..."

"Too many letters," Beth told him with a smirk.

" _Finally!_ " Jack exclaimed victoriously.

"You better not be blocking me."

"Dainty," he told her with a grin.

"You better not be following me, either."

Jack looked up and winked at her.

"Jack Joyce."

"This is your own fault," he told her. "Better watch what you post."

She rolled her eyes and went back to her crossword.

* * *

  **January 20, 2017, 1:58 AM**

"It was nice to finally not be the disaster for once," Beth commented as they exited the theater.

"Look, it just took me by surprise," Jack explained with a frown. "It was really similar to one of my chronon powers and it just... reminded me of things I'd rather not be reminded of."

Beth patted his arm comfortingly. "It's alright, I won't tell anyone."

"It wasn't _that_ loud," he pouted.

"People turned around to look at us," Beth reminded him. "And if you had jumped any farther you would've been in my lap."

"Sure, rub it in," Jack said with a sigh. "But yes, on the bright side you did not tackle anyone."

"I was too distracted trying to make sense of the plot to worry about the three other people in the theater."

"At least you got to watch Kate Beckinsale rip someone's spine out," Jack said with a chuckle.

"It _is_ impressive that somehow that movie managed to still surprise me by the end," Beth said with a laugh.

Jack shook his head with a smile. "They're supposed to be ridiculously over the top."

"Mission successful." Beth stopped abruptly. "Hey, isn't that Nick?"

"Yeah, I think so," Jack agreed, looking across the lobby. Nick was standing off to the side, partially hidden between two large movie posters.

"He looks like he's having a good time," she mused, gesturing toward the woman he was with. "If he doesn't come up for air soon we might have to call for help."

"Oh my god," Jack said as he realized who the woman was. "Is that _Amy?_ "

"...Ferrero?"

"Holy _shit_." Jack stared at the pair, mouth agape. Well, _that_ wasn't a match he would have expected. "Why the hell would she be dating _Nick Marsters?_ "

"Self-loathing?" Beth suggested. Jack rolled his eyes and laughed. "Come on, Joyce, let's get out of here before they notice us."

"They won't remember us," Jack reminded her.

"They _will_ remember us because they were in the theater when you screamed like a baby," Beth countered. _Oh, that was them._

"Okay, good point," he agreed, following Beth as she made a beeline for the doors. He shivered as they opened, letting the frigid winter air rush past them. Beth seemed to barely notice, and he found himself starting to wonder if maybe she was secretly some kind of android.

"You okay?" she asked as they walked down the dimly lit streets of Riverport.

"Do you even get cold?" Jack returned. "Are you a Terminator or something?"

She laughed louder than Jack expected. "What kind of question is that?"

"I'm freezing my ass off, here," Jack complained.

"I didn't last all those years in Monarch by complaining about the cold," Beth reminded him.

Jack looked at her. "So you _are_ cold?"

"I'm freezing," she assured him with a laugh. Her smile faded as she turned her head slightly. "Someone's following us."

"Huh?" Jack turned to look.

" _Don't look_ ," Beth hissed, grabbing him to keep him facing forward. "Just keep walking."

Jack felt his anxiety start to kick in. How ironic would it be if, after everything they'd been through, they got killed by some criminal college student?

"Hey!" a voice shouted from behind them. Jack glanced at Beth, whose expression was steely and calm. "Wait up!"

Beth turned toward the man first. "Do you need something?" she asked.

"Yeah," the man said, pulling out a switchblade. "Your wallets."

Jack laughed, surprising himself as much as the thief.

"You think this is funny?"

"You don't want to try that, buddy," Jack told him. "Especially with," Jack gestured toward the knife, "whatever _that_ is."

"You gonna stop me?" the man asked.

"Me? Nah," Jack replied. "She will, though."

"You look like a smart kid," Beth added. "Go home before you get hurt."

"Have you lost your mind, lady?" the guy asked with a laugh.

"Go home," Beth repeated.

"Couple of fucking id-"

Jack had seen Beth in action a few times, but the speed with which she disarmed their attacker was astounding. Within moments she had him pinned face down on the sidewalk.

"Fuck, you're gonna break my arm!"

"Only if you keep struggling," Beth told him. "If I see you again, I will absolutely snap your arm in half."

As she released him, the man jumped to his feet and tore off away from them as fast as he could. Beth got to her feet, holding the switchblade up for Jack to see.

"Think he got that at the dollar store?" Jack asked with a smile. She laughed and playfully shoved him before stuffing the blade in her pocket and pulling him after her. "So much for going to see a movie without assaulting anyone."

" _Look_..."

"I'm just kidding," Jack told her with a laugh, putting his hands up defensively. "You're my hero."

"Hopefully Sparky gives up his life of crime," Beth mused as they walked along the blissfully empty sidewalk. She reached into her pocket as her phone buzzed. "Jack what the fuck. Did you tag me in a tweet about this already?"

"I owe it to my loyal followers," he explained with a grin, putting his phone back in his pocket.

"You know, Jack, I'm not sure why I put up with you."

"I'm a fucking delight, and you know it."

She shook her head with a smile. "Come on, let's get home before anyone else gets any bright ideas."

"Can't wait to tell Will about how you Batman-ed that guy."

"Oh my god, Jack."


	11. Chapter 11

**January 26, 2017, 11:27 AM**

Jack laid in bed, staring at the ceiling.

Another year he thought he was fine, another year and here he was obsessing over the death of his parents. It had been over a month since the anniversary and Jack thought he had finally beaten the grief, but here it was again. Just like every year.

Jack heard his phone buzz, and for a moment considered just leaving it where it was. With a sigh, he finally reached over to his nightstand and grabbed it.

> **Paul**  
>  I hope you have a shrine set up for that ram statue.  
>  _Thu 11:30 AM_

Jack felt himself smile ever so slightly as he stared at his phone screen. He should reply. He really _should_. He kept staring at the screen. _Say something, Jack_.

> **Jack**  
>  i tossed it in the closet  
>  _Thu 11:35 AM_
> 
> **Paul**  
>  That is a slap in the face to our entire friendship.  
>  _Thu 11:35 AM_
> 
> **Jack**  
>  are you just sitting there staring at your phone waiting for me to respond  
>  _Thu 11:37 AM_
> 
> **Paul**  
>  Like a worried nursemaid.  
>  _Thu 11:37 AM_

Jack frowned. He could tell somehow Paul knew. He'd been friends with Paul long enough that it didn't surprise Jack that he would know winter was always a challenge, but he also hadn't seen Paul in weeks. How would he know it was happening  _now?_

> **Paul**  
>  Jack I know it's "that time of year" and we both know I'm terrible at being comforting, but if you ever need to talk I can listen intently and then probably say something extremely unhelpful but well-intentioned afterward.  
>  _Thu 11:41 AM_
> 
> **Jack**  
>  thanks paul  
>  _Thu 11:43 AM_
> 
> **Paul**  
>  Call me if you need anything.  
>  _Thu 11:43_

Jack was about to respond when he heard a loud thump. "Fuck!" he growled as he dropped his phone on his face. Jack pushed himself up into a sitting position on the bed, brow furrowed as he looked around to determine the source of the sound. Another thump. The window.

As Jack moved to the window, it became clear where the sound was coming from. Beth stood in the front yard, a victorious grin on her face and a snowball in her hand.

"What the hell is she doing?" Jack muttered to himself as he opened the window.

"Come out here and help me," she shouted up to him. He stared down at her quizzically. He ducked as she hurled another snowball at him.

"Jesus, Beth."

"If I wanted to hit you, I'd have hit you," she called back up to him. "Now get your ass out here."

Jack sighed, then shut the window. For a moment he considered just laying back down, but he realized that Beth being out in the front yard alone in the middle of the day was a big thing for her, so he dragged himself off of his bed, out of his room, and downstairs. After an extremely difficult battle with his stubborn shoelaces, he finally put his coat on and opened the front door.

"You took so long I thought you weren't coming," Beth told him, arms crossed, as he approached her.

Jack sighed. "So what's the emergency?"

"Help me make a snowman."

Jack blinked. "A snowman?"

"You have a bad habit of making me repeat myself," she told him, arms still crossed.

"I'm just... confused," he said after a moment. "You really want to build a snowman?"

"I haven't built a snowman since I was seven years old," Beth explained with a shrug. "I thought it might be fun."

Jack wanted to be annoyed, but he couldn't help but smile. He would never have expected Beth to want to do something so... _normal_. Although he realized two adults making a snowman in the middle of the day was probably _not_ normal.

"Don't make me hit you with a snowball, Joyce," Beth threatened. "If we have a snowball fight instead, you know I'll win."

"I seem to recall Liam saying you're a marksman for shit," Jack reminded her with a grin.

"God, I forgot you would have heard that," she said with a laugh. "Liam was just jealous."

"Uh huh," Jack told her with a healthy dose of disbelief, turning his attention to the slightly oblong mound of snow behind her. "That's your base?"

She looked over her shoulder to inspect her work. "Something wrong with it?"

"It's egg-shaped."

"You want to make a snow ostrich instead?" Beth asked with a smirk.

Jack laughed in spite of himself. "I don't either of us have the skill for that."

"Then get cracking, Jack," she ordered, pointing to the decrepit beginnings of a snowman.

"The snow egg is fucked," Jack whispered to himself as he started rolling another ball of snow for the snowman's torso. Beth was trying to patch up the base to make it less of an oval, although Jack was pretty sure she was just making it worse.

Jack grinned as he finished rolling his massive snowball. The grin faded as he tried to pick it up. _Ah, shit_. He strained as he tried to lift it, to no avail. "Fucking hell," he grumbled as he tried in vain again to lift the mound.

"Need some help?" Beth asked from behind him. Jack glanced over his shoulder to see her trying to hold back her laughter.

"I would love to say no," he told her with a defeated sigh, "but unfortunately I am a weakling."

Beth laughed as she stepped forward to help him lift the snowball on top of the base. After a moment of precarious balancing, they were able to get it set down without immediately rolling off.

"At least mine is round," Jack said as they stepped away to examine their work.

Beth quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Don't hurt me," he whispered, taking one step backward.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I'll make the head if you go find accessories for him."

"So our snowman is going to be an egg head?"

"Jack."

"Okay, okay," Jack replied with a chuckle. "I'll go find him some eyeballs or something."

Jack headed back into the house, ditching his coat and shaking the snow off of his shoes as he closed the door behind him. What did snowmen need? It had been well over a decade since he'd made one. Eyes, a nose, a mouth. Maybe a hat? That part would be easy. He headed into the kitchen and opened the fridge. _Fuck, no carrots._ He'd have to find an alternative. What about eyes?

"This is a terrible idea," he said to himself with an evil cackle as he grabbed two hard boiled eggs and set them on the counter. He opened one of the kitchen drawers and pulled out a sharpie, quickly drawing two large circles on the larger end of the eggs. He grabbed a plastic bag from the pantry and tossed the eggs and other items in the bag. After some quick rummaging through the closet, he stuffed all his treasures into the bag and headed back outside.

"About time," Beth said as he rejoined her. "I thought maybe you went to take a nap."

"Have some faith." Jack set the bag down in the snow beside the now-finished snowman. He pulled out the two eggs and gently shoved them into the snowman's head, careful not to crack the shells.

"Jack, that is disturbing," Beth told him with a frown.

"They look great," Jack disagreed.

"They have _pupils,_ " she returned. "Snowmen aren't supposed to have  _pupils_."

"Don't judge my artistic vision," Jack chided, crouching down and pulling the next item out of the bag.

Beth stared at him with a concerned look on her face.

"What?" Jack asked.

"Jack, is that a cucumber?"

"We don't have any carrots left," he told her with a shrug.

She frowned. "It's a cucumber."

"Stop judging me." Jack jammed the cucumber into the middle of the snowman's face. He finished the face with a handful of grapes to make a frowny face.

"Why is our snowman sad?" Beth asked with a laugh.

"Because he has eggs for eyes and a cucumber for a nose," Jack explained.

Beth held up a finger before moving toward the hedge bordering the house. She returned after a moment and gingerly placed two sticks above the eyes. "The cucumber nose should make him _angry_."

Jack grinned at their furious snowman. He pulled one of Will's hats out of the bag and placed it on top of the snowman's head.

"Jack that's too much," Beth said with a laugh.

"Actually it's perfect," Jack countered. "Angry men wear fedoras."

Beth placed a hand on her face, trying to hide her laughter.

"Don't you facepalm at me, Beth Wilder."

"He needs arms," she finally said after she stopped laughing.

The two of them split up, each tasked with finding one arm. After a few minutes of searching, Jack located an acceptable tree branch. As he returned to the snowman, he saw the arm Beth had brought.

"What the hell is that?"

Beth looked down at her branch. "It's an arm."

"Is it a _broken_ arm?" he asked. It was extremely not straight, and seemed to have about three elbows. "You had _one_ job, Beth."

"Shut up." She grabbed Jack's stick and quickly jammed both of them into the snowman. Beth stepped back to admire their work. "He's not too bad."

"He looks like you had a friendly chat with him," Jack told her, earning himself a smack to the shoulder. "Ow!"

"He needs a name," Beth announced.

_Don't say it._ "Paul."

He wasn't expecting Beth to laugh as loud as she did. "I'm glad you're feeling better," she said with a smile.

Jack sighed. He should have _known_ it was all just a ploy to get him out of his funk. "Yeah, yeah," he said. "Move, I need to take a picture of this."

Jack pulled out his phone and quickly snapped a picture. There was no way he was going to let this monstrosity go undocumented. He quickly texted a picture of the snowman to Paul.

> **Jack**  
>  we named this asshole paul serene  
>  _Thu 12:37 PM_

Jack put his phone back in his pocket and turned to the snowman. "What the-"

"Let's go inside," Beth suggested with a smirk. "I'm freezing."

Jack snapped another picture of the snowman before following Beth back into the house. After taking his coat and shoes off he moved into the kitchen, where Beth was already rummaging through the cupboard.

"Top shelf," he told her. She grabbed the edge of the shelf and peeked over the top on her tiptoes. Reaching up, she pulled down the container of hot cocoa. "You could've just asked for help."

"It's like you don't even know me."

Jack smiled. He grabbed the bag of marshmallows that had been next to the cocoa and handed it to her. "Thanks for forcing me to help."

"Any time," she told him with a smile, taking the marshmallows.

Jack's phone buzzed again.

> **Paul**  
>  That cucumber is in the wrong place.  
>  _Thu 12:44 PM_
> 
> **Jack**  
>  dont worry beth moved it  
>  _Thu 12:45 PM_


	12. Chapter 12

**February 14, 2017, 3:45 PM**

"I can't believe your favorite Avenger is Ant-Man."

"Why are you surprised?" Jack laughed. "He's basically me if I was a superhero."

"Useless and annoying?" Beth asked with a curious and judgmental tilt of her head.

"I resent that description of Scott Lang," Jack returned with a pout. "Who's _your_ favorite?"

"She-Hulk."

"Your favorite Avenger is a lawyer?"

Beth laughed. "I like how I said She-Hulk and your _first_ thought was that she's a lawyer."

"Well I mean my actual first thought was 'I can't believe Beth Wilder is a comic book nerd' but I didn't want to distract us from the task at hand," Jack told her with a smirk. Before Beth could respond, Jack's phone buzzed. He picked it up off the table and turned the screen on.   

> **Becky**  
>  We still on for dinner tonight?  
>  _Wed 3:47 PM_

Jack stared at his phone. He had _completely_ forgotten he had scheduled this dinner, mostly because in the previous timeline he had cancelled it.

"You okay?" Beth asked with a frown.

"Yeah it's fine," Jack said, quickly texting Becky back. "I just forgot I have a thing tonight."

" _You_ have plans?" she asked with a playful smile.

"Yeah, just dinner with an old friend from school," he explained, putting his phone back in his pocket. "I'm glad she reminded me, since technically I scheduled this about two and a half years ago."

"Oh," she said in surprise.

"I'll be back home by ten, probably," Jack explained, getting up from the table. He was going to have to spend some time sorting out what to talk about, so he didn't accidentally mention something that hadn't actually happened yet. He took for granted how easy it was to talk to Beth. Nothing he could say would shock her, except apparently that he had a social life. He headed upstairs to get ready. 

* * *

  **February 14, 2017, 8:30 PM**

"It feels like it's been a lifetime since I've seen you," Becky mused as they walked along the river. "I'm glad you're finally back home."

"Well, it's safe to say I probably won't be traveling again for a while," Jack assured her.

"Back to living with your brother, huh?" she commented. "I thought you and Will didn't get along."

"A lot has changed," Jack shrugged, glancing up at the Port Donnelly Bridge. It was nice to see if back in one piece. Even after two years in the previous timeline, they hadn't repaired the damage from the ferry crash. "How's Rachel?"

"Busy, as usual," Becky replied. "She sends her love."

Jack smiled. "I guess the bright side is I didn't have to feel like a third wheel."

"Still the same old Jack, I see," Becky said with a laugh. "What I want to know is why are you spending Valentine's Day with _me?_ "

Jack frowned. "You invited me."

Becky tightened her grip on Jack's arm. "Jack Joyce, you spent half our dinner conversation telling me about Beth."

"What?" Jack asked, feeling his cheeks flush.

"I've known you a long time, Jack," Becky reminded him, leaning into him as they walked. "I'm glad to see you, but it sounds to me like you should have been spending today with somebody else."

"It's not like that," Jack insisted. "She's my friend. My _roommate_."

"Do you remember when I set you up with Janet in our sophomore year?" Becky asked. "You swore up and down you were gonna marry that girl."

"Yeah, what's your point?"

"You didn't talk about Janet half as much as you talk about this Beth woman," Becky told him with a smirk. "I kind of want to meet her, now."

Jack rolled his eyes, happy that it was dark since he was sure he was full-on blushing at this point. "We just... went through some stuff together, that's all."

"You keep telling yourself that," Becky said with a chuckle. "Look, I'll be in town a few more days, so why don't you go home? We can have coffee or something before I leave town."

Jack sighed in defeat. "Fine, you win."

Becky squeezed his arm in victory. "I'll text you later and we'll set something up." 

* * *

  **February 14, 2017, 9:23 PM**

"I'm home," Jack announced as he stepped in the front door. He was greeted by silence. He hung up his coat and peeked his head into the empty living room. "Hello?"

A cursory search revealed that the first and second floors were empty. Jack opened the door to the basement and quietly padded down the wooden stairs. Will looked up from his desk, surprised to have company. "You're home early."

"Have you seen Beth?" Jack asked, a hint of concern in his voice. "She's not in the house."

"If she's not here, she's probably in the garage," Will told him. Of course, that made sense.

Jack thanked his brother and bounded back up the stairs, forgoing his coat as he quickly made his way from the back door to the garage. As he opened the side door to the garage, he could see Beth on the far side. She was bench pressing what looked to be about three times the amount Jack had ever attempted.

"Aren't you supposed to have a spotter for that?" Jack called from across the room. She briefly glanced at him before setting the bar back on the supports.

"What time is?" she asked, sitting up and taking off her gloves.

"About half past nine," Jack explained.

"Bad date?"

Jack laughed. "Calling it a date would be a stretch."

Beth quirked an eyebrow.

"I don't think Becky's wife would appreciate it," Jack clarified.

" _Oh_."

"Wait, did you _really_ think I was on a date?" Jack asked with a laugh. "She's just an old friend I haven't seen since before I left the country."

Jack heard Beth sigh, and he worried that maybe he'd embarrassed her. Unless...? No. There was no way she was _jealous_.

"Come inside," Jack ordered with a beckoning wave of his hand. "I brought you cheesecake." She furrowed her brow at him. "You _do_ like cheesecake, don't you?"

"Everybody likes cheesecake," she replied, standing up and moving to follow him back into the house.

As they entered the kitchen, Jack pointed to the bag on the counter as he opened the fridge, grabbing two bottles of beer and moving into the living room. He popped the caps off and handed one of the bottles to Beth as she sat next to him on the couch.

"Where did you get this?" Beth asked, mouth half-full of cheesecake. "This is amazing."

"A little place off the river," he explained, turning the TV on and propping his feet up on the coffee table. "It's been there since I was in junior high. I'll have to take you some time."

Beth grabbed the remote from him and changed the channel. "There is no way we're watching that."

Jack sighed dramatically. "Why don't I ever get to pick what we watch?"

"Because I'm stronger than you," Beth reminded him with a grin before stuffing another fork-full of cheesecake into her mouth.

"That's not fair," Jack complained. "Just because you can bench press me-"

"You know, I've actually never tried bench pressing another human being," she mused, picking up the beer bottle.

"We are not going to try it, because I am easily breakable," Jack told her, grabbing his own bottle and holding it up. "Cheers."

They clinked the bottles before each taking a sip. Beth's face immediately contorted with regret.

"Yeah, in hindsight cheesecake and beer were probably not a great combination," Jack commented with a chuckle.

"I trusted you, Jack Joyce," she complained, picking the remote back up. "Just for that, we're watching more Charmed."

"It's about time," Jack replied with a grin. "I'm extremely invested now, you know."

"Good, because we've got about five seasons left."

Jack pulled his phone out of his pocket as it buzzed.    

> **Becky**  
>  Friday morning, 9am?  
>  _Wed 9:42 PM_
> 
> **Jack**  
>  ill be there  
>  _Wed 9:42 PM_
> 
> **Becky**  
>  Bring Beth!  
>  _Wed 9:43 PM_
> 
> **Jack**  
>  nice try  
>  _Wed 9:43 PM_
> 
> **Becky**  
>  Pleaaaase?  
>  _Wed 9:44 PM_
> 
> **Jack**  
>  not a chance  
>  _Wed 9:45 PM_
> 
> **Becky**  
>  Spoilsport.  
>  _Wed 9:46 PM_


	13. Chapter 13

**February 20, 2017, 12:23 PM**

"She kicked you out of the house?" Paul asked with a laugh as Jack sat down across from him.

"She asked nicely," Jack corrected.

Paul crossed his arms. "Beth asked you nicely to get the hell out of your own house."

"Technically it's Will's house," Jack replied with a shrug. "She's still getting used to being alone _and_ being around other people."

Paul shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "I remember that stage."

"I'd suggest you help her, but I'm pretty sure she could kill you," Jack joked. "Possibly even through the phone."

"You know, the cafeteria here has a surprisingly good menu," Paul said, changing the subject. "The mac and cheese is to die for."

"Paul Serene, are you asking me out on a date?"

"The office cafeteria _is_ extremely romantic," Paul agreed. "Seriously though, they'll run out if we wait much longer."

"Wouldn't want to miss mac and cheese," Jack chuckled, following Paul as he headed for the elevator. "So, do you like it here?"

"It's... a change, to be sure," Paul replied as the elevator doors closed. "But it beats the alternative, I suppose."

"You suppose?"

"Alright, it _definitely_ beats the alternative." Paul stepped out of the elevator and motioned for Jack to follow him.

It was certainly no Monarch Tower, but the place was impressive. Thankfully it looked more like an office building and less like a sterile laboratory, something Jack found himself unexpectedly thankful for. He still wasn't sure exactly what Paul did, but he at least trusted that it was no longer anything nefarious.

After navigating through the lunch crowd, the two men fetched their food and retreated to a table near the back, away from the other employees.

"You weren't kidding about this mac and cheese," Jack said before shoveling another fork-full into his mouth. "At the last job I had, I wasn't sure the food was even edible."

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to talk with your mouth full?" Paul asked with an impish grin. Jack sneered at him as he continued to focus on his lunch. "So, she's doing better?"

"You're asking about Beth?" Jack asked between bites.

"Don't act so surprised," Paul returned. "It's my fault she ended up the way she is. I _do_ care, you know."

"I know," Jack said, "I just... I mean, you two spent _years_ trying to kill each other. I just thought it'd take longer for that to wash out."

"Well, unfortunately for her, I'm the only one who knows what she's going through," Paul pointed out.

"So, you think she should just get over it?" Jack asked, eyes briefly falling to Paul's untouched lunch. "You eat, right?"

"Of course I eat," Paul replied with a chuckle.

Jack sighed in relief. "I was worried that was, like, a shifter thing or something."

"Any lack of appetite I have is sadly entirely human." Paul glanced down at his watch.

"Late for an important business meeting?"

Paul looked up at him. "I cleared my schedule before you came."

"Then why do you keep checking the time?" Jack asked skeptically.

"You don't trust me?" Paul asked jokingly. "There's a group that usually comes in about one o'clock. Big group. Incredibly _loud_."

"Ah, just trying to spare me," Jack realized. "You're such a good friend."

"So, I heard Becky was in town," Paul said after a moment.

"How did you know about that?"

"I may no longer be Monarch Actual, but I'm still incredibly well-connected," Paul reminded him. Jack cocked an eyebrow. "We're friends on Facebook, Jack."

"I forgot you were a Facebook person," Jack said with a laugh.

"I've got to hand it to you, Jack," Paul said wistfully, "I wish I understood how you manage to stay friends with the women you break up with."

"First of all, she broke up with _me_ ," Jack corrected. "And secondly, it's called not being an asshole."

Paul laughed. "So you keep telling me. You know, I always did like Becky."

"She hated you," Jack reminded him.

"Most of your girlfriends have hated me."

"Maybe they're on to something," Jack chuckled.

Paul checked his watch. "Time to head upstairs, I think."

Jack picked up his half-emptied bowl. "You know, I'm glad the one thing we can rely on in this universe is that damn watch."

"And _you_ told me to get rid of it."

"I promise, I never will again." 

* * *

  **February 20, 2017, 5:56 PM**

"I'm home," Jack called as he opened the front door. "I brought tacos."

Jack set the bag down on the kitchen counter before hanging up his coat. "Where from?" he heard Beth ask from the living room.

"The place you like," he answered, stepping back into the kitchen. He froze as he saw Beth.

"What?" she asked.

"What?" he repeated incredulously, motioning at her erratically. "You... your... your _hair_."

"I cut it," she told him with a shrug.

"Yeah, I can see that," Jack replied. "It's just so... _short_."

She quirked an eyebrow at him as he continued to stare. "So I take it you didn't like this look on me in 2010?"

"What? No, of course I liked it. I _do_ like it." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I just... wasn't expecting you to just, y'know, cut all your hair off while I was gone for the afternoon."

"Would you like me to clear my haircuts with you from now on?" she asked sarcastically before grabbing the bag of tacos and heading toward the dining room.

"It's just a big change, that's all," Jack clarified as he followed behind her.

"I appreciate your concern," Beth said curtly, turning around and forcing him to stop short, "but I'm fine."

Jack sighed quietly as Beth continued into the dining room. _You pissed her off. Good job, Jack._

"It's just hair, Jack," Will said from behind him. "Did you get the chicken ones?"

"Yeah, of course." Jack followed his brother into the dining room and sat down at the end of the table.

The meal was painfully silent. For once, Will did most of the talking. His grant was renewed, and so the bills would stay paid. Jack tried to hide his guilt for not contributing anything to their expenses, and Beth said nothing at all.

As he stood in the kitchen, thinking and absentmindedly scrubbing dishes, he heard footsteps behind him.

"If you scrub that plate any more you're going to take the pattern right off."

Jack turned to see Beth standing in the doorway leading to the living room.

"I wanted to apologize," she explained softly. "I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"I probably could have looked less aghast," Jack admitted with a weak smile.

"Will told me you hate surprises," she said with a smile.

Jack set the plate down and turned to face her, leaning back against the countertop. "Ask him about the time my friends threw me a surprise birthday party sometime."

"That bad?"

"The police were called."

"Sounds to me like you were just being on brand," she replied dryly.

"Very funny," Jack told her. "Your hair looks great, though. If I cut my hair myself it'd probably end up being an uneven mess."

"I had a lot of practice," Beth reminded him. "It's not like I could just go to a hair stylist back... you know."

"So, I assume the first time you did it, you accidentally gave yourself a bowl cut?"

Beth laughed and rolled her eyes. "I didn't truly master the edgy short-haired look until I was able to get my hands on your band's CD."

"Wait a second..." Jack peered at her for a moment, and the grin slowly spreading across her face confirmed his suspicion. "Where is it?"

"Not telling," she taunted, smiling and bolting out of the kitchen.

"Hey, come back!" he called, chasing after her.

"You'll never find it," she laughed, already halfway up the stairs.

"We'll see about that."


	14. Chapter 14

**March 1, 2017, 5:15 PM**

"Jesus, Will, what the hell," Jack yelped as he jumped back from his brother's lab equipment.

"Jack, I appreciate that you want to help," Will told him with an irritated frown, "but you are doing exactly the opposite of helping."

"You _electrocuted_ me!" Jack complained, rubbing his arm.

"If you would stop _moving_ it wouldn't keep _happening_ ," Will returned with a huff. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Why don't we take a break?"

Jack continued to rub his arm, a sulky pout on his face. As Will turned back to his research, Jack headed back up the stairs into the living room. As he shut the basement door behind him, he caught a glimpse of movement in the kitchen.

"Beth?" Jack called as he poked his head into the kitchen. The counter was covered in vegetables and Beth appeared to be dicing a tomato. "What are you doing?"

"Cooking," she replied without looking up from the counter.

"You can cook?"

Beth stopped what she was doing and looked up at him, a quizzical frown on her face. "Of course I can cook, Jack."

"You say 'of course' like that's a thing all people can do."

"Well clearly neither of _you_ can, so I figured I better feed you some _real_ food before we all starve," she told him sarcastically, turning back to the counter. "If I had to eat fish sticks one more time, Jack, I swear to God..."

"So, what are you making?" Jack asked, leaning over her shoulder.

She shoved him away. "It's a surprise."

Jack moved to the other side of her, snatching one of the tomatoes from the pile next to her.

"Jack, seriously," Beth complained. She stared at him gape-mouthed as he took a bite of the tomato as if it were an apple. She shocked herself back to reality when she literally dropped the knife she was holding. It clattered to the floor between them. "What the hell, Jack."

"That seemed like a better idea in my head," he told her with a grimace. Beth snatched the remains of the tomato from him, then bent down to pick up the knife.

"You are a child," Beth accused with a scowl.

"I'm sorry," Jack apologized with a laugh as she rinsed the knife. "Let me help."

Without warning, Beth picked up an onion and tossed it to him. Jack barely caught it, earning an eye roll for his trouble.

"Please don't also toss me a knife."

"Diced," she ordered. Jack saluted her, then opened one of the kitchen drawers to grab another knife and retreated to the opposite counter. He pulled his phone out of his pocket set it down on the counter next to him before thumbing through several playlists. With a smile, he hit the play button.

Beth turned to look at him with a smile. "Is that the mix you made for me?"

"No," he admitted, "but I _did_ load it up with Toto."

"Peace offering?" she asked with a smirk.

"Inspiration," Jack corrected, looking down at the onion in front of him. "So like. Are you supposed to peel this first or something?"

Beth sighed defeatedly. "How did you survive into adulthood?"

"Not a clue, honestly," Jack answered. "Considering the number of times I've been in jail, it's amazing I'm as well-adjusted as I am."

"I'm not sure I would call this well-adjusted," Beth countered with a laugh. "Cut the top and bottom off first, then cut it in half and the peel should come right off."

"Gotcha." Jack stared down at the onion for a good long moment before getting to work. He blinked tears out of his eyes as he continued to cut, suddenly reminded of why he never cooked in the first place.

"Jack, no," Beth complained after a few moments, stepping toward him with an annoyed expression on her face. "Honestly, you literally saved the world from the end of time. How is it you can't even cut up an onion?"

"Everybody has their strengths and their weaknesses," he told her with a shrug as she pushed him out of the way.

"Like this," she explained, showing him the proper way to cut an onion, according to Beth Wilder.

"Aye aye, Captain." She rolled her eyes and returned to her side of the kitchen.

Jack was about halfway through dicing up the onion when the song changed and Beth audibly gasped. "No, change it!" she ordered, whirling around to face him.

"Don't like Pat Benatar?" Jack asked.

"I _hate_ Pat Benatar," she clarified, moving toward his phone. Jack quickly grabbed it and put it in his pocket. "Jack!"

"Hit me with your best shot," Jack sang along with a grin.

" _Jack_ ," she growled pushing him back into the counter and reaching for his back pocket.

_Damn, she's serious about this._ Jack quickly pulled the phone out and held it up over his head.

"Come on!" Beth whined, leaning into him as she tried to reach the phone. Jack had just enough height on her that there was no way she'd be able to get to it. Unless of course she literally climbed him, which very much seemed to be her goal.

Finally she'd had enough and punched him right in the gut. Not hard enough to do any damage, but enough to double him over. She grabbed the phone and turned off the music. "That's cheating," Jack choked as he collapsed to the floor.

"Serves you right," she chided, setting his phone down on the counter and returning to her cooking.

_Note to self: never challenge Beth Wilder to hit you with her best shot again._

 

**March 1, 2017, 7:30 PM**

"I'm still not sure what that was," Jack commented as they sat at the table, "but it was _really_ good."

Beth rolled her eyes with a chuckle. "I'd offer to teach you how to cook, but I feel like you're a lost cause."

"That's probably true," Jack agreed, getting up and grabbing an armful of dishes. Will had immediately retreated to his basement laboratory the moment dinner had ended, though he had been very clear about not needing Jack's help again.

"Sorry I hit you," Beth said as she followed him into the kitchen with the rest of the dishes.

Jack looked up at her out of the corner of his eye as he loaded the dishwasher. He'd known her long enough to know she wasn't _really_ sorry about it. Not that he blamed her. "Sorry I tortured you with Pat Benatar."

"So we're both equally sorry." Yeah, she definitely knew he wasn't sorry either. She handed the rest of the dishes to him.

"There's ice cream in the freezer," Jack mentioned as he finished loading the dishwasher.

"Is it decent?" Beth asked skeptically. "Considering your taste in coffee..."

Jack brushed past her with an exasperated sigh and opened the refrigerator.

"Thank god," she said under her breath as he pulled out the carton of cookie dough ice cream.

"I'm not _always_ a disaster," Jack assured her, grabbing two spoons and motioning for her to follow him. He sat down on the couch and handed her one of the spoons.

"I'll hold my judgment on that one until you decide what we're watching," Beth returned, snatching the carton from him and taking off the lid before digging in with her spoon.

"Okay, so no Balto," Jack mused as he scrolled through Netflix.

"And you say you're not always a disaster," she said sarcastically, mouth half full of ice cream.

"Takes one to know one," Jack replied with a wink. "Oh hey, they just added Jurassic Park."

"I never did watch that."

Jack turned to stare at her. "How have you never seen Jurassic Park?"

"Well first of all, I was two when it came out," Beth reminded him. "And by the time I was old enough to watch it, I was already busy learning how to kill a man with my pinkie finger and a scrunchie."

Jack stared at her for a moment.

"Do I have ice cream on my face?" Beth asked after a moment.

"I'm just trying to picture you wearing a scrunchie."

Beth rolled her eyes. "Just turn on the damn movie."


	15. Chapter 15

**March 21, 2017, 10:15AM**

"Soft drink choice, four letters," Beth announced, looking down at the day's crossword puzzle.

Jack looked up from his coffee. "Are you calling me out, Beth Wilder?"

"It could have been Jolt," she told him with a smirk as she filled in the answer. "Initials on an airport uniform?"

"SOB," Jack suggested.

Beth looked at him with a frown. "Jack's not a big fan of the TSA," Will helpfully explained from across the table.

"Ah," she said softly, looking back down at the crossword. "That's gotta hurt."

"Uh, I mean, sort of?" Jack replied, feeling a lump rise in his throat.

"No, that's the clue," Beth explained with a laugh. "Four letters."

" _Oh_ ," Jack said with a nervous chuckle. "I guess it's probably not 'fuck.'"

"You _would_ say that."

"Ouch," Will said, as he continued to peruse the rest of the newspaper that Beth had abandoned.

"Sometimes I think I should just let Will do these," Beth said as she jotted down the word.

Jack shook his head. "Don't encourage him."

"Girls just want- oh, hell no." Beth frowned as she scribbled the answer.

"So, no Pat Benatar _or_ Cyndi Lauper?" Jack asked with a grin.

"Don't try it," Beth growled, pointing the pencil at him threateningly.

Jack put his hands up defensively. "I learned my lesson last time!"

"Yeah, we'll see about that," she replied. She looked back down at the crossword. "What follows Thanksgiving?"

"Diarrhea." Beth and Jack both stared at Will, who looked back as if he had said something perfectly normal. The two of them burst into laughter, much to Will's confusion.

"I guess he's not wrong," Beth admitted after a moment.

"Don't pretend you don't ask for our input just for moments like these," Jack teased with a grin. Beth rolled her eyes before writing down the actual answer. Jack grabbed his now-empty mug and looked back at Beth. "Want a refill?"

Beth slid her mug down the table and went back to her crossword puzzle. Jack took both of the cups into the kitchen, quickly eyeing the coffee pot to make sure there would be enough for both of them. It would be close. He could hear Beth and Will talking as he filled up the mugs.

"How long are you going to stay here?" Will asked as Jack emerged from the kitchen.

Beth stared at him blankly for a moment, and Jack could see the color drain from her face. "Well, I... uh..."

"Will, aren't you late for work?" Jack interrupted quickly, moving fast enough that he splashed hot coffee on his hand. He set the mugs down on the table and wiped the scalding liquid off on his pants, trying to suppress a wince.

Will checked his watch. "Not yet."

"You know how traffic is though," Jack added. "You should probably get on the road."

"Hm, I guess you're right," Will conceded, setting his newspaper down and getting up from the table. "I'll be back late today. Thanks for breakfast, Beth."

Beth smiled weakly at Will as he turned and headed toward the door. Jack pushed Beth's mug in front of her and sat down on the opposite side of the table, prompting a heavy sigh.

"He's right," she said as she heard the front door close, hanging her head slightly. "I shouldn't still be here."

"Look, Beth, you need to understand that what Will says is exactly what Will means," Jack explained. "There is no hidden meaning. He was just asking a question."

Beth looked up at him, but her face suggested she wasn't convinced.

"He doesn't want you to leave," Jack assured her. "Will _really_ doesn't do subtext. It's why I watch movies with _you_ and not him."

Beth still looked unconvinced.

"We'd starve without you at this point," Jack added, happy to see her crack a smile.

"First of all, I resent the fact that you're implying that you just keep me around to cook," she began, "and secondly, I am going to teach _you_ to cook so that one day you _can_ survive without me."

"I thought you said I was a lost cause," Jack countered, leaning forward on the table on his elbows.

She shrugged. "You probably are, but we won't know till we find out."

"Remind me to restock the first aid kit." Beth laughed, and Jack was happy to see her start to relax. "Do you know how bored I would be if you moved out?"

"You'd have to return to a life of crime."

"Exactly," Jack agreed with a grin, "so I guess you're stuck here forever." 

* * *

  **March 22, 2017, 2:27AM**

With his headphones on, Jack almost didn't hear the crash across the hall. He quickly pulled them off as his head snapped toward the door. He hadn't imagined it, had he? Better check, just to be safe.

Jack got up from his desk, quietly opened the door, and shuffled across the hall. He hesitated as he reached Beth's door. Finally, Jack decided to knock - _quietly_ \- hoping not to wake Will. He could faintly hear Beth swear on the other side of the door, but after a moment of waiting she said nothing else.

_Well, I guess I'm going to have to risk it_. Jack turned the knob and gently pushed the door open slowly enough to allow Beth time to object. But she said nothing. As he entered, he could see her sitting defeatedly on her bed. A quick glanced around the room revealed the source of the crash - a lamp, now in pieces against the far wall.

Jack closed the door. "You okay?" he asked quietly.

"Sorry for waking you up," Beth muttered with a sigh.

"I was definitely not asleep," Jack assured her, moving forward and sitting on the edge of the bed next to her.

Beth looked up at him. "What were you doing at two thirty in the morning?"

"I was... well, it doesn't really matter what I was doing."

Beth raised an eyebrow.

"I was not doing _that_ ," Jack clarified defensively. "You have another nightmare?"

Beth sighed loudly. "I thought they'd have stopped by now," she told him. "Or at least gotten better."

"You went through hell," Jack reminded her. "It's going to take time."

"It's been almost six months," she snapped in frustration. "I haven't slept more than three hours straight since I got here." Beth buried her face in her hands and breathed in deeply. "I'm just... I'm so exhausted."

Jack frowned in concern. He knew she'd been having nightmares, but he didn't realize it was _every_ night. What he _did_ know was that it wasn't getting any better because she wasn't dealing with it. "Come on," he finally said, standing up. "Let's go for a walk."

"Now?" Beth asked. "It's the middle of the night."

"It's..." Jack pulled out his phone to check the weather. "...a balmy forty degrees outside."

"Jack..."

"Come on, it's better than sitting in here angry and alone," he insisted, holding out his hand. "Besides, it's not like either of us were going to be asleep anyway."

Beth stared at him for an uncomfortable moment, then with a defeated sigh finally swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, ignoring his outstretched hand. "You better go put on some pants if we're going outside."

Jack blinked, then looked down. He had been so concerned about her that he hadn't even noticed he'd wandered over in his boxers. He could feel a blush rise to his cheeks and hoped that she couldn't tell in the dark. The smile on her face suggested that, as usual, she could see right through him.

"I'll meet you downstairs," Jack offered before quickly ducking out of her room and retreating back to his own. After pulling his jeans on he headed downstairs, surprised to find Beth already waiting for him. She clearly hadn't felt the need to change, which at this point shouldn't have surprised him. She _did_ seem impervious to the cold, no matter what she claimed.

"Come on, Joyce," Beth chided impatiently as Jack tied his shoes.

"Sorry, I gave up velcro in the second grade," Jack told her as he finished and got to his feet. He motioned toward the door. "Shall we?"

Beth sighed and brushed past him toward the door. Jack couldn't tell if she was annoyed with _him_ or just with the entire situation. But here she was, so she couldn't be _that_ angry.

Jack shivered as he stepped outside after her. Somehow, looking at the light fabric pants Beth was wearing made him even _colder_.

"This was your idea," Beth reminded him, as she watched him bristle in the cold.

"Haven't you learned by now that not all of my ideas are good?" Jack asked with a laugh. "Like the time I thought it was a good idea to turn myself over to Monarch."

"Don't remind me."

"Looks like you've beaten that whole 'being outside' thing," Jack mused as they walked side by side down the street.

"It's not _easy_ ," Beth said with a shrug, "but I don't feel like I'm going to reflexively attack the neighbor anymore."

Jack snorted. "That's a good thing."

"Why did you really drag me out here, Jack?"

"You need to talk to somebody," Jack confessed.

"You want to shrink me?" she asked with a laugh. "Come on."

"Well it's not like you can tell an _actual_ shrink any of this," Jack reminded her, "and if you don't talk about it, you're never going to get past whatever this is."

Beth groaned in annoyance.

"About time I got to be Doctor Joyce for once," Jack joked.

He could tell she was trying not to smile at his horrible joke. She was failing. "Fine, _Doctor Joyce_."

"Let's start when you were a child," Jack teased, earning an elbow to the ribs. "Ow!"

Beth stopped walking. "I should've known you wouldn't take this seriously."

"I'm sorry," Jack told her earnestly. "I was just trying to lighten the mood."

"You're better at that when you're not doing it on purpose," she scoffed, arms crossed.

"What do you mean?"

Beth continued walking, prompting Jack to fall into step behind her. "I had nightmares after I went back in time, too. Every night. Just like this."

Jack frowned. "But you said back in the house that it'd only been since October. If you were having them since 1999, then-"

"They stopped," she interrupted. "In 2007."

_Jesus, that was still eight years._ "What happened in 2007?"

"I went to see My Bleeding Clock."

This time Jack stopped. "You went to see _my_ horrible band play?" Beth nodded. Jack racked his brain, trying to remember that show. And suddenly, there it was. "Wait a second, that was _you!_ "

A smile spread across Beth's face. "I wasn't sure you saw me," she confessed. "Not that you would have known who I was."

"You got thrown out for punching out the bartender," Jack recalled with a chuckle. "That's hard to forget."

"He deserved it, trust me."

"I believe you," Jack laughed. "So much for keeping a low profile."

Beth shrugged, grabbing his sleeve and pulling him along behind her. "That was the first time I slept through the night."

Jack realized what she was suggesting. "Wait, you're saying that _I'm_ what kept you from having the nightmares?"

"I kept following you after that and they didn't come back until I stopped," Beth explained, "which is why _this_ situation is so frustrating."

_Ah, it made sense now_. "But this isn't the same as back then," Jack reminded her.

"I know," Beth sighed. "I just... I don't know what to do this time."

"I have a suggestion you're going to _hate_."

Beth looked up at him, then hung her head. "Yeah, I know I should talk to Paul."

"I'm sure he'll give you one swing for free," Jack added with a smirk.

"Don't tempt me," she warned with a chuckle. "Come on, Doctor Joyce, let's get out of the cold. Maybe I'll be able to get another three hours of sleep before my demons show up again."

"Those are the most beautiful words you've ever spoken," Jack told her with a shiver. "Don't worry, Beth. We'll figure this out together."

"I'm going to hold you to that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find a one-shot of the 2007 scene where Beth goes to see My Bleeding Clock [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17613728).


	16. Chapter 16

**April 12, 2017, 3:27PM**

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Look, Jack, only one of us can be worried," Beth explained, taking his hand and dragging him toward the door, "and it can't be you."

Beth had insisted that they take a trip to the grocery store for some ingredients they were missing for some _thing_ that she wanted to cook. Jack had argued that she could easily enough just add the items to the weekly grocery list. But no.

"I can't believe I agreed to this," Jack muttered as she pulled him through the automatic doors and into the maelstrom that was the Riverport grocery store.

"You wanted to babysit me," Beth reminded, dragging him unceremoniously through the cluttered store. Jack wanted to object, but he was too busy watching her for signs of distress.

Beth had been doing fine with outside strolls through the neighborhood, but a trip to the grocery store? That was new. And _uncharted_ _territory_.

"Stop _watching_ me," she warned as she dragged him further into the store.

"Beth, I'm delicate," he complained as he tried to get her to let go of his shirt.

"Oh my god," Beth grumbled under her breath.

"What are we even looking for?" Jack asked as she finally released him.

"Almond extract," Beth answered as she perused the shelves in front of them.

"Almond _what?"_

Beth looked at him like he was a barbarian.

"How do they extract the almond's essence?" Jack continued unperturbed. "Does it involve a seance?"

"Jack Joyce, I swear to god."

"Is there some fancy contraption they use to siphon the essence from the almond?" Jack continued. "I bet Will could-"

His diatribe was cut short as Beth clamped her hand over his mouth. "Jack, I appreciate that you're trying to distract me from the fact that there are other people here, but don't think I won't kill you."

Jack blinked twice as Beth stared him down in the baking aisle. She finally removed her hand and Jack swallowed the lump in his throat. "Yes, ma'am."

"If you ever call me ma'am again, I will also kill you."

"Yes.......... Beth."

Beth turned back to the shelves in search of the almond extract. "Sorry, Jack," she apologized after a moment, "I'm just a little tense."

"Yeah, I get it," Jack said with a nod, looking over her shoulder. "Hey, is that it down there?"

Beth glanced up at him, then down to where he was pointing. "Why would they put it so close to the goddamn floor?" she growled as she grabbed the tiny bottle.

"Beats me," Jack shrugged. "What are you making anyway?"

"Bread," Beth explained, grabbing a package of flour and tossing it into the grocery basket Jack was carrying. He grunted at the sudden weight. "I prefer making breads you have to knead, but..."

"Taking out all your aggressions on the dough?" Jack asked with a grin.

"Something like that," she agreed with a smirk. "Just need some baking powder and-"

"Jackie, is that you?"

Jack felt as though every muscle in his body constricted all at once. There was only one person who called him that, and he had not counted on running into her today. Or ever again in his life.

Both Jack and Beth turned toward the intruding voice. A woman about their own age stood before them, in fact much closer than Jack would have preferred. He didn't realize he had reflexively shied away until he felt Beth's hand firmly in the middle of his back.

"Janet," Jack greeted her reluctantly.

"It's been _years_ since I've seen you!" Janet continued. "You certainly do look... _different_."

"Yeah, that happens, Janet," Jack reminded her, shifting his weight uncomfortably. He could tell from the look in her eyes that Janet was still bitter, even fifteen years later, and if he couldn't cut this off now it was going to get ugly fast. "Look, can we-"

"And who's your friend?" Janet continued despite Jack's protestation, turning her attention to Beth. "Another one of your innocent victims?"

"Excuse me?" Beth asked, quickly stepping between the two. Jack could feel his chest tighten and his breath catch in his throat as the two women stared each other down.

"Jack isn't who you think he is," Janet snapped. "He's-"

"If you're looking for the _salt_ it's in the next aisle," Beth interrupted viciously, reaching down and grabbing a box of sugar and dumping it in the basket. "And as for Jack, he's _exactly_ who I think he is. And so are you."

Jack barely had time to react before Beth grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the aisle, leaving Janet gape-mouthed behind them. After putting some distance between them, Beth stopped and turned to Jack.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her brow furrowed in concern.

"I... I don't know," Jack admitted.

"Alright, why don't we get the rest of the stuff and get out of here," Beth suggested.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Jack agreed with a nod.

Jack reflexively let out a deep breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding as he followed her quietly through the grocery store. With any luck, Janet would keep her distance. If she didn't, Jack was sure that it wouldn't just be Beth's words that would be violent. 

* * *

  **April 12, 2017, 5:15PM**

Jack reached over and grabbed his phone to check the time. He'd been laying in bed staring at the ceiling for over an hour. He couldn't get the altercation out of his head. If Beth hadn't gone full Rambo on her, Janet might have said something he wasn't ready to deal with.

Jack's head snapped forward as he heard a light knocking at the door. "Hey, it's me," Beth announced.

"Come on in," Jack told her, sitting up and quickly straightening out his bedhead. Beth opened the door and stepped inside, holding what looked to be a plate of cookies.

"I thought you were making bread."

"After today I figured this would be more appropriate," she told him, handing him the plate and sitting down on the bed next to him. "Look, I'm really not good at this whole being comforting thing, but if you want to talk about what happened today..."

"I'd rather never think about Janet again," Jack told her with a sigh, picking one of the cookies up off of the plate and examining it. "I can't believe you actually baked."

"Don't tell anyone," Beth ordered with a straight face. "I have an image to maintain."

"Wow, these are _really_ good," Jack mumbled, his mouth still half full of cookie.

Beth shook her head with a smile. "Can't take you anywhere."

"We'll have to become hermits that never leave the house."

"Pretty sure we already did that," Beth reminded him as Jack devoured a second cookie.

Jack grabbed another. "They need milk."

"I'm your roommate, not your mother," Beth scoffed, getting up from the bed and moving toward the door. "Come down and get it yourself and we can finally finish watching Charmed."

Jack looked back down at the plate of cookies as Beth disappeared. He still couldn't believe she actually baked cookies for him. He grabbed his phone and picked the plate up and followed her down the stairs, making a pit stop in the kitchen for a glass of milk.

"You know, you don't actually have to eat _all_ of them in one sitting," Beth reminded him as he sat on the couch beside her.

"You can’t hand a man a plate of cookies and say 'don't eat them all'," Jack told her with a dismissive wave of his hand. "By the way, I forgot to thank you, so... thanks."

"They're just cookies," Beth shrugged.

"Not for the cookies," Jack chuckled. "For the... you know, the rescue at the store."

"Oh, that." Beth shrugged again. "You'd have done the same thing for me."

"Not that I would _need_ to," he replied, "but you're right, I would."

"And you'd make it worse," Beth added with a sly smile.

Jack laughed. "I want to be mad, but you're absolutely right."

"Don't worry, it's the thought that counts," she assured him, patting him on the arm and grabbing one of the cookies.

Jack picked up the remote and turned on the TV. "Come on, let's get this show over with so we can finally watch something else."


	17. Chapter 17

**May 16, 2017, 8:37PM**

Beth took a frustrated gulp from the red plastic cup in front of her. "How the hell are you so good at this game?"

"A lot of practice in college," Jack explained with a grin, retrieving the quarter from inside the shot glass in the middle of the table. He deftly bounced it down onto the wooden surface in front of him and right back into the shot glass.

Beth made a sound halfway between a groan and a growl as she took another chug from the cup.

It was Beth that had suggested they play a drinking game since Will would be out of town for the entire week, but she'd made the mistake of letting Jack pick which game. Quarters was his specialty. One of his _only_ specialties, but he was taking a lot of pleasure in finally being better at _something_ than Beth Wilder.

She was no slouch, of course. They'd both been through enough cans of PBR for Beth to stop complaining about how bad PBR was. But Jack had decided about a half hour ago to stop going easy on her, and now she was solidly ahead, and it was getting pretty obvious. Jack had been sure Beth would be able to hold her liquor, and he wasn't wrong. But that was about three beers ago.

"You suck," Beth complained as Jack snatched her cup and refilled it. He then fetched the quarter and haphazardly bounced it off the table, breathing a quiet sigh of relief as it bounced off the lip of the shot glass and back onto the table. The last time he had intentionally tried to miss, it'd actually gone in on accident.

Jack's phone buzzed from its resting place on the table. He picked it up and unlocked it to check the notification.   

> **Paul**  
>  You want to go out tonight?  
>  _Tue 8:46 PM_
> 
> **Jack**  
>  cant too drunk  
>  _Tue 8:47 PM_
> 
> **Paul**  
>  You're already drunk at 9 on a Tuesday?  
>  _Tue 8:47 PM_
> 
> **Jack**  
>  playing quarters w beth  
>  _Tue 8:48 PM_
> 
> **Paul**  
>  ☠️ ☠️ ☠️  
>  _Tue 8:49 PM_

"Fuck," Beth growled as the quarter bounced clear over the shot glass. Jack took a long gulp from his cup as Beth picked the quarter up off the table. "What was that for?"

"Pity drink," Jack told her with a grin. He yelped as she threw the quarter at him. It bounced off his arm and onto the floor. "Ow!"

As Jack bent down to retrieve the fallen quarter, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," Beth offered.

"You're going to drunk-answer the the door?" Jack asked with a laugh.

"Might make it easier," she shrugged with a smirk before turning and unsteadily heading toward the front door.

Jack picked up his almost full cup and took a long sip. He could hear the doorknob turn and his ears perked as he heard a woman's voice answer. _Wait, did she say Bethany?_

"...Mom?" _Oh shit_. Jack nearly spilled the cup as he hastily set it down on the table and rushed toward the door, his feet nearly sliding out from under him as his socks refused to find purchase on the smooth wood of the floor.

When Jack finally managed to reach the doorway, he found Beth frozen in front of the open door, staring at a woman twice her age. "Hi," Jack said, hoping to break the stalemate. "I'm Jack Joyce."

"Lillian Effinger," the woman introduced herself, holding her hand out to Jack. "I'm Bethany's mother."

Beth bristled visibly as her mother said what Jack could only assume was her name. Jack shook her hand before inviting her in, hesitantly guiding her to the living room and hoping she wouldn't look at the dining room littered with beer cans.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Jack asked as Lillian seated herself on the couch.

"Merlot," she replied, prompting an obviously annoyed sigh from Beth.

"Uhhh... sure, I'll have to check if we have anything," Jack offered, eyes darting to the basement door. "Beth, can you, uh, help me with this?"

Jack put a hand on her arm and gently but firmly guided her toward the basement. He flicked on the light and guided her down into Will's lab.

"There's no wine down here, Jack," Beth told him with a frown.

"There is no wine _anywhere_ in this house," he reminded her. "Do you want me to get rid of her?"

"I, uh..." Beth stammered. "I don't know."

"Beth I can go up there and find an excuse to have her leave," Jack promised, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Just say the word."

She tensed at his touch, but for the first time, Beth didn't pull away. Her head was slightly bowed, and her breathing came steady but jagged. Jack had to stave off enough panic attacks of his own to recognize the signs.

"I can do this," Beth finally declared, taking in a deep breath.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked.

"Nope," she replied with a shake of her head.

"I'll be right there with you," Jack assured her, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze before releasing his grip.

Beth took in another long breath, then released it and turned back to the stairs. Jack placed a hand protectively at her back as she faltered slightly on the way up. He silently cursed himself for deciding _today_ would be a great day to get drunk. Not that he could have foreseen a surprise family visit, particularly since Beth had never even _mentioned_ her family.

"Sorry, we're out of wine apparently," Jack lamented as convincingly as possible as they emerged from the basement.

"It's no matter," Lillian replied with a dismissive wave of her well-manicured hand.

"How did you find me, Mother?" Beth asked coldly, keeping her distance as Jack pulled the unsightly teal armchair closer to the couch.

"I hired a very talented private detective," Lillian explained.

"You hired some guy to _stalk_ me?" Beth asked with a huff, rolling her eyes and heading toward the dining room with Jack close on her heels.

"How else was I supposed to find you?" Lillian asked, standing up from the couch. "I haven't heard from you in years, and-- is that beer?"

Beth had retrieved her full cup from the dining room table - which was still littered in empty PBR cans - and was now chugging the whole thing much to Jack's distress.

"Beth, I don't think-"

"Yes, Mother, it's beer," Beth interrupted, ignoring him completely. "We can't all be classy and perfect like _you_."

"Bethany Elizabeth Eff-"

" _Mother!_ " Beth shouted angrily. The entire room froze. Beth and her mother stood, face to face in a brutal standoff, each glaring at the other with the fury of years of unresolved enmity.

"Your father would be so embarrassed at the state of your life."

Jack was worried that Beth might resort to violence, but finally after a moment of silent fuming, she broke off toward the front door. "Beth, wait!" he called after her. He turned to Lillian with an angry scowl. "You stay here."

As Jack emerged onto the front porch, he saw Beth standing at the bottom of the stairs, her hands on her hips. As she heard the door close, she turned toward him, quickly wiping tears out of her eyes.

"I was wrong," Beth told him as he stepped down the stairs to meet her.

"It's okay," Jack told her reassuringly. "She ambushed you."

"I just... I thought I could handle her." Beth let out a frustrated sigh. "All that training to save the goddamn world and I can't even handle my own mother."

"Hey, look at me," Jack ordered, putting both of his hands on her shoulders. He gently brushed a tear off her cheek with his thumb. "You are still a human being, Beth Wilder. You don't have to hide it or be ashamed of it."

Jack's attention turned back to the house. He let go of Beth's shoulders and headed toward the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Beth asked with a frown.

"I'm going to get rid of your mom," Jack told her. "I'll be back."

Jack pushed open the front door and let it slam behind him, getting Lillian's attention. She sat at the dining room table, surrounded by beer cans, and looked up at him as he approached.

"Where's Bethany?" she asked.

" _Beth_ ," Jack corrected her hotly. "You need to leave."

"Excuse me?"

"You need to get out of my house, right now," Jack repeated, crossing his arms and staring at her as confidently as he could.

"She is my daughter."

"She had no idea you were coming here today, and she clearly didn't want to see you," Jack told her. "And you don't seem to have much respect for your daughter."

Lillian gasped. "Who are you to talk to me this way?"

"Someone who cares _very_ much about her," Jack replied. "Something I'm not sure we have in common."

Jack motioned toward the door, moving to open it for her. Lillian clenched her jaw angrily but moved to follow him.

"This isn't over," she threatened.

"If you really respected Beth, you wouldn't have shown up here unannounced," Jack accused. "And let me be crystal clear with you. If you ever _do_ show up here unannounced again, I won't hesitate to call the police."

"How will I contact her?" Lillian asked as Jack opened the front door. Beth, who was sitting on the bottom step, turned to look at them.

"Write a letter."

With one last self-important huff, Lillian stepped down the stairs, not even looking at Beth, and headed for her car.

"What the hell did you say to her?" Beth asked as Jack sat on the stairs next to her.

"I told her if she ever came back, I'd call the cops," Jack shrugged.

"You didn't." Beth stared at him, mouth agape. "You _said_ that to her?"

Jack was surprised when she started laughing. Maybe he shouldn't have been. At this point in the night, she was probably fifty percent beer and fifty percent adrenaline. He made a mental note to prepare for a hangover _and_ a crash in the morning.

"Hey, you know, that thing she said about your dad..."

"My dad would be proud of me," Beth told him. "My dad _knew_ me. Her?" Beth scoffed. "She never even bothered to try."

"What do you mean?"

"My dad was my best friend growing up," Beth explained with a warm smile. "He's the one that got me into Toto."

"Ah, I see," Jack said with a smile. "Figured you didn't pick that up on your own."

She chuckled. "I'm not really old enough to have stumbled into that myself."

"I mean, maybe you hung out with an older crowd," Jack suggested with a shrug.

"A _much_ older crowd?" Beth asked sarcastically. "I remember Dad playing Africa for me when I was a kid, and I used to run around the house shouting about how I missed the rain."

"You sound like you were actually adorable," Jack laughed.

"I didn't figure out the real lyrics until I was twenty-two," she added with a smirk. The smile faded after a moment. "Dad died when I was fifteen. And then I was stuck with... _her_..."

Jack resisted his natural urge to speak. Beth had never been this open about _anything_ before, and he was worried if he started asking questions she'd bottle up.

"I was never what she wanted me to be," Beth continued, crossing her arms and leaning forward onto her knees. "She wanted some porcelain doll she could dress us and parade around to all her friends and I'm just... not _that_."

"Big mood." _Oops_. Jack was surprised when Beth put an arm around him and pulled him closer to her. Just how drunk _was_ she?

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Jack."

"Drink better beer, probably," he suggested. She laughed and threw her other arm around him. "Oookay, I think it's time to call it a night."

Jack half helped half dragged Beth upstairs and got her into bed before heading to his own room.

"Hey Jack," Beth called as he was about to leave her room.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for not making it worse."

Jack smiled. "I'm glad I didn't."

"Me too," she agreed with a yawn. "Good night."

"Good night, Beth."

Jack quickly returned to his own room and climbed into bed. They could clean up the mess in the morning, since Will wouldn't be back until the weekend.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket to charge and noticed a text notification that he had missed during the night's drama.   

> **Paul**  
>  She still alive?  
>  _Tue 9:05 PM_
> 
> **Jack**  
>  barely  
>  _Tue 9:57 PM_
> 
> **Paul**  
>  You must either hate her or love her to trick her into playing quarters with you.  
>  _Tue 10:01 PM_
> 
> **Jack**  
>  no comment  
>  _Tue 10:05 PM_


	18. Chapter 18

**May 17, 2017, 2:04PM**

Jack glanced down at his phone, disappointed to see that there were still no notifications. He'd been texting Beth for hours to see if she was okay, but so far she hadn't responded. He wanted to give her some space - after the events of the previous night, he was sure a hangover wasn't her only issue - but he was starting to really worry.

After a moment of internal debate, Jack got up from his desk and headed downstairs and into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and grabbed a can of Coke, then plucked a clean glass from the dishwasher before heading back up the stairs. He stopped in the bathroom to fill the glass with water.

Jack hesitated as he reached the door to Beth's bedroom. It was silent inside, and he realized it was a definite possibility that she was still asleep. But if his own experiences had taught him anything, it was that she was probably just _wishing_ she was asleep. Or dead, given how much she drank.

He gently knocked on the door, and he could barely hear a groan on the other side. He waited, but she didn't say anything, so he gently pushed the door open and poked his head in. Beth had the covers pulled up all the way over her head, and Jack had to resist laughing since he knew she was almost certainly upset.

"I brought you liquids," Jack announced as he approached her bed, setting the can and the glass down on the bedside table. "I thought you might be dehydrated."

Another groan escaped from the mound of sheets on the bed.

Jack waited for a moment to see if Beth would say anything else, but she was silent, save for the rustling of sheets as she repositioned herself on the bed. Jack turned to leave.

"Wait," she pleaded as he opened the door.

Jack closed the door as Beth's head popped out from beneath the bedsheets. She looked haggard and exhausted, a pained expression Jack was all too familiar with on her face.

"Drink," Jack ordered, pointing to the glass of water as he moved forward and sat on the edge of the bed. Beth begrudgingly picked up the glass of water and chugged the entire thing.

"I can't stop thinking about it," she admitted after a moment, looking annoyed with herself.

"I'm sure the hangover isn't helping with that."

" _Your_ fault," Beth grumbled, wincing slightly as she sat up.

"My fault," Jack agreed. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't know she'd show up," Beth told him.

"You gonna be okay?" Jack asked, noting the pained expression on her face. He knew that chugging that last beer had probably been the nail in the coffin, but the six before it certainly hadn't helped.

"Probably," Beth replied with a shrug. "Haven't been this drunk in..."

"Decades?" Jack offered playfully.

"At least one," she agreed with a weak smile. "Stole a 12-pack for Y2K. Drank the whole thing. Mistake."

"Beth..."

"I don't need your pity, Jack," Beth told him, a hint of annoyance seeping into her voice. She looked down. "I just... I haven't felt this helpless since..."

She trailed off, but Jack knew what she meant. He'd been there, after all, the last time Beth lost control of her emotions. It wasn't something _he_ wanted to remember either.

Jack knew Beth prided herself on keeping tight control over what she presented to the world. It was a skill she had cultivated over years and it had protected her when she infiltrated Monarch. Losing that control was embarrassing at best, and dangerous at worst. It didn't matter that the danger had passed. Deprogramming that kind of ingrained response would take years.

"You don't have to be a supersoldier anymore, Beth," Jack reminded her.

"I know," she admitted with a sigh. "Adapting to this new normal just hasn't been easy for me."

"I noticed," Jack chuckled. "You're not alone, though, and Will and I will be here to help you for as long as you need us."

"You keep saying that."

"It keeps being true," Jack countered with a smile. "I'm not very good at lying."

Beth chuckled. "I've noticed."

Jack pulled out his phone to check the time. "Look Beth, I need to run out for a little bit, otherwise we won't have any food to eat for the rest of the week, but I'll only be a text away if you _actually_ look at your phone."

Beth sighed with a hint of a smile. "You assume I didn't see your fourteen texts."

"There weren't fourteen," Jack told her defensively.

She raised an eyebrow. "I think the difference between eight and fourteen is negligible."

Jack made a face that was somewhere between a frown and a pout. "I was worried about you."

"I'll be fine," she assured him.

Jack paused. "You want me to get you more water before I leave?"

"That... would be great," Beth admitted after a momentary hesitation.

Jack stood and picked the glass up off the bedside table. "It's been over six months," Jack reminded her. "You don't have to pretend you're on your own anymore."

Beth sighed. "I know, it's just... hard."

Jack moved forward and crouched down beside her, looking her in eyes. There was a moment of silence between them before Jack spoke. "I... had something really astute to say, but I can't remember what it was."

Beth turned her head slightly to hide her laughter. "Just... go."

"I'll be back soon, I promise," Jack assured her, standing up before she noticed the blush in his cheeks. He looked down at the empty glass in his hand. "After I bring this back."

" _Go_ ," Beth ordered with a roll of her eyes.

Jack retreated to the door, hiding a smile of his own. "Be back soon."

* * *

**May 17, 5:58PM**

> **Jack**  
>  come downstairs  
>  _Wed 5:58 PM_

Jack slipped his phone back into his pocket as he set the groceries down on the counter and set to work putting everything in its place. Determining everything's place was a bigger challenge than he expected, considering this was normally Will's job.

"Think like Will," he whispered to himself as he surveyed the kitchen. He stared at the cabinets for a good five minutes. "I have _no_ idea how to think like Will."

Jack stared at the cabinets for a few more moments, vainly wishing he had made Will label them, before finally putting all the perishable items in the refrigerator and leaving everything else on the counter. They'd keep.

"Took you long enough," Beth complained from the living room.

Jack leaned over to see her sitting on the couch. "So, you made it downstairs."

"Barely," she grumbled. "We are never playing quarters again, by the way."

"Fair," Jack chuckled. "I brought pizza."

Beth immediately perked up. "You did?"

"Did you think I was just going to let you starve?" he asked with a laugh. "I forgot to ask you what you wanted, so I just got what I like."

"And that is...?" she asked, her voice filled with dread.

"Just like... lots of meat."

Beth sighed in relief. "Thank god you're not as weird as I thought."

Jack picked up the box and brought it into the living room, setting it down on the coffee table and sitting next to Beth on the couch. "Exactly how weird did you expect me to be?"

Shrug shrugged, opening the box and grabbing a slice. "You could've been a secret pizza vegetarian."

"Beth, you've lived with me for six months."

"You could've been!" she insisted before shoving the pizza in her mouth.

Jack stared at her. "I've got to give you better beer next time."

"Next time," she laughed, mouth half full. "As if there will be a next time."

Jack picked up the remote and turned on the TV. "What episode were we on?"

"I think it's the last episode of the season," Beth answered, grabbing another slice of pizza.

"You know, I always hated this time travel arc."

"I _knew_ you had seen this before!" Beth shouted before Jack realized his mistake. He sighed as she stared at him with a smug grin on her face.

"Fine, you caught me," he admitted in defeat.

"You could've said something."

"What fun would that be?" he asked with a chuckle.

She snorted. "Well the next thing we watch will be new to _both_ of us, so no lying."

"I won't," Jack promised, grabbing a slice of pizza. "Not that we're ever going to finish _this_ show, at this rate."

"We could skip the end," Beth suggested.

"Oh no," Jack replied. "We started this, and we're going to finish it."

"Do they change the future?" Beth asked after a moment.

Jack looked at her with a smile. "Did we?"

Beth turned back to the TV. "I guess we can finish it.”


	19. Chapter 19

**May 20, 2017, 5:35 PM**

Jack stared blankly into the refrigerator. Somehow even after going to the grocery store earlier in the week, there was nothing to eat.

"I used to live on my own," Jack whispered to himself with a frown as he continued to stare at the sparse shelves. "How...?"

"No fish sticks," Beth called from the living room.

Jack grumbled slightly under his breath as he stared back into the refrigerator. Unless he planned to microwave hot dogs, he needed another plan.

Closing the door to the fridge, Jack glanced back at the living room. There was _one_ other option.

"Let's go out for dinner," Jack suggested as he stepped out of the kitchen. Beth looked up from her book.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked with a frown.

Jack paused. "I know you told me to trust you, but you really _are_ ready for it."

Beth chuckled. "I meant are you sure that's a good idea _financially_."

"Oh," Jack muttered, feeling a blush rise in his cheeks. "Well, I'm the younger brother and it's my duty to be irresponsible, so I say we go for it."

She laughed out loud this time.

"Is that a yes?" Jack asked with a grin.

Beth rolled her eyes, still smiling. "It's your money."

"Well, I mean technically it's Will's money," Jack corrected with a shrug.

Beth stared at him as if he had just said that the world was flat.

"What?" Jack exclaimed.

"Well I'm glad you figured out your relationship with Will," Beth told him with a grin.

Jack looked down slightly as he considered what she'd said. Beth wasn't wrong. He hadn't given it much active thought, but so much of what had complicated his relationship with his brother had become a non-issue, partly since in this timeline it had never happened. But Jack hadn't realized he'd let go of it.

"You okay?" Beth asked, breaking him out of his self-reflection.

"Yeah, I was just thinking," Jack told her. "If you don't want fish sticks tonight, then-"

"I'm convinced," she interrupted. "So, where are we going?"

Jack considered his options for a moment. "I never did take you to Francesca's."

Beth looked at him quizzically.

"The cheesecake place," he clarified. "I _did_ say I'd take you."

She continued to stare at him for a moment.

"Would you rather go somewhere else?"

"No," Beth responded quickly. "That's fine."

Jack quickly called a cab while Beth got ready. He wasn't sure what exactly she was doing, but he figured it involved some self-talk. He was no stranger to that.

"Cab's here," Jack called up the stairs. He threw his coat on and opened the door, happy to see the white and yellow cab parked out in front of the house.

Jack jogged the short distance between the house and the curb, where the taxi was patiently waiting. As he reached the parked car, he opened the passenger-side door. His eyes went wide as he saw the driver.

"You're on the clock, man," Nick Marsters informed him as Jack opened the door. _It had to be Nick_.

"Uh, just... give us a couple minutes," Jack finally managed to utter, turning back toward the house. Beth was just locking the front door.

"She your old lady?" Nick asked, shocking Jack back to reality.

"What?" he asked quickly.

Nick motioned toward Beth, who was still busy locking up. "She's hot, man."

"She's... my _roommate_ ," Jack finally uttered as Beth starting moving toward the cab.

"So she's available?"

"What the fuck, Nick."

Nick blinked twice. "How'd you know my name, bro?"

Jack's eyes went wide. "Uh, they gave it to me when I ordered the cab."

Nick narrowed his eyes. "I guess that makes sense." He paused a moment as Beth drew nearer to the cab. "You should ask her out."

"Shut the fuck up," Jack hissed, ducking his head out of the cab and shutting the front door.

"You okay?" Beth asked as she approached the car.

"Perfect," Jack answered a bit too quickly.

She frowned at him.

"It's Nick," Jack whispered.

Beth rolled her eyes. "You're _kidding_."

"Wish I was," Jack replied with a convincing sigh. "Just ignore _anything_ he says."

"Where to, lovebirds?" Nick asked from the front seat.

Jack was sure his stomach jumped up into his throat. "Francesca's," he answered before Beth could react. She was oddly calm and collected about the whole situation. Then again, it _was_ Nick.

"Relax," she whispered into his ear in the back seat.

Jack took a deep breath. "You say that like it's easy."

Beth patted Jack's thigh reassuringly, which didn't help at all.

* * *

  **May 20, 2017, 6:28 PM**

"I would have been totally happy if we had just come here and had cheesecake," Beth proclaimed as she shoveled another bite of dessert into her mouth.

Jack chuckled as he watched her. "Everything's good here, but... _yeah_ , the cheesecake."

"It's better when it hasn't been sitting around," she added pointedly.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Look, I would have brought you, but you were still in punch strangers in the throat mode."

Beth frowned, mouth still full of cheesecake. She swallowed before deepening her pout. "That's not fair."

"No, but it's _true_ ," Jack pointed out. "Besides, you're here now, aren't you?"

Beth looked down at the half slice of cheesecake before her. "I guess."

Jack laughed in spite of himself. "You know, I never would have expected you to be this whiny."

"Hey," Beth objected with a frown.

"I meant that in a nice way," Jack clarified. "...if that's possible."

Beth didn't respond. Jack frowned, following her gaze. It didn't take long to realize what she was preoccupied with.

"Is that Liam?" Jack asked after a moment.

"And Emily," Beth responded distantly. Jack stared at her with a puzzled look on his face, and eventually, Beth broke her gaze and turned back toward him. "Emily is - _was_ \- Liam's wife."

Jack knew Beth and Liam had a history with Monarch, but didn't know much about the man beyond that. He recognized the tone in Beth's voice, though. It was reminiscence. No, it was more than that. There was pain in her voice.

"You okay?" Jack asked after a moment.

"Yeah, I just..." Beth trailed off, still watching the couple across the room. "Liam and Emily only met because of Monarch."

"But Monarch doesn't exist anymore."

"Yeah, I know," Beth replied with a frown. "I've never believed in destiny..."

Ah, that was it. "What, do you think they're soul mates or something?"

"Maybe," she shrugged. "I just... they were always so..." Beth made a gesture Jack didn't quite understand. It was clear she didn't have the words for whatever she was trying to say, and honestly, Jack wasn't sure what she was getting at. But he could tell whatever she was feeling was abnormally intense for her.

"You sure you're okay?"

"Maybe we should go," Beth suggested.

Jack raised his hand to flag down their server. "Let me just get the check and then I can call a cab and hope we don't get Nick again."

Beck laughed. "I don't think I can handle him twice in one day."

"Me either," Jack agreed with a smile.

"Thanks for dinner, Will," Beth told him with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah," Jack mumbled to himself as he signed the receipt. "You know you're sworn to secrecy, right?"

"I'm not going to lie for you, Jack."

"We'll see about that," Jack told her with a sly grin. "I can be very convincing."

"Well, you've got the entire cab ride home," Beth told him with a smile.

Jack cracked his knuckles. "Challenge accepted."


	20. Chapter 20

**June 2, 2017, 12:37 AM**

Jack bolted upright in bed as he was suddenly awakened by a heavy knock on his bedroom door.

"Hey, you decent?" Beth's voice came through the closed door.

"What...?" Jack asked groggily. Without waiting for him to answer, Beth pushed the door opened and poked her head in.

"Put some pants on and meet me downstairs," she ordered before ducking back out and closing the door.

Jack tried to blink the weariness out of his eyes as he sat upright in bed, baffled and disoriented. What time was it? A quick check of his phone prompted a groan of annoyance. It was the middle of the night. What could she possibly want?

After one final glance at his phone, Jack dragged himself out of bed and quickly got dressed, grumbling to himself as he pushed the door open and trudged down the stairs.

"In the kitchen," Beth called as Jack reached the bottom. He squinted at the oppressive lights as he shuffled into the kitchen. No sooner had he stepped into the room than Beth thrust a mug into his hands.

"What...?" Jack looked down at the mug, furrowing his brow as he smelled it. "Is this _my_ coffee?"

"It _is_ your birthday," Beth reminded him.

"I didn't think we had any left," Jack replied, still looking at the mug. "Why is this in my hand at midnight?"

"Drink it," Beth ordered. "I need you awake."

"Why?" Jack whined. "I was so blissfully _asleep_ ten minutes ago."

"Because I'm taking you somewhere for your birthday," she explained.

Jack's face twisted into a pout. "In the middle of the night?"

"You'll understand why when we get there," Beth promised with a mischievous smile. "Now, drink up."

Jack begrudgingly took a sip from the mug, his grumpy frown immediately softening. He looked up from the mug, quirking an eyebrow as he noticed Beth also drinking coffee.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"I thought you hated this stuff."

She shrugged. "It's growing on me."

Jack's face slowly spread into a broad grin.

"I figure if I'm gonna live with you, I might as well get used to your bad taste in..." Beth paused. "...everything."

"I'm going to let that one slide," Jack told her with a chuckle, taking a long smell of the coffee before taking another sip. "So where are you taking me?"

"It's a surprise," Beth replied evasively. Jack frowned. "If I _tell_ you, that defeats the point of it being a _surprise_."

Jack frowned more vigorously. "You know I hate surprises."

"This is a safe surprise," Beth promised. Jack remained unconvinced, and clearly she could tell. "Look, do you trust me or not?"

"Of course I do."

"Then don't worry," she reassured him. "Finish that and then put some shoes on."

Beth chugged the rest of her coffee, then grabbed two thermoses and left Jack in the kitchen alone.

Jack looked down into the half-empty mug, finding himself wondering what Beth could possibly have planned. He _did_ trust her, but...

"You _trust_ her," he whispered to himself, taking a deep breath before finishing his coffee.

"You're not a morning person, are you?" Beth chided as Jack laced his shoes.

"It is almost one o'clock in the morning," Jack reminded her with a scowl.

Beth waved her hand dismissively. "Details."

"Okay _fine_ , I'm ready," Jack finally announced, standing up. Beth motioned for him to follow her out of the house, then headed for the garage. "Wait, you're driving us somewhere?"

"How did you think we were going to get there?"

"You haven't told me where we're going, so I hadn't really expected it to be somewhere that far away," Jack confessed as they stepped into the open garage. He opened the passenger side door and slipped inside, quickly buckling his seatbelt as Beth climbed into the driver's seat.

Beth turned the car on and Jack gave her a sideways look as familiar music began playing from the car speakers. "My ride, my music," she told him with a smirk.

"How did you even _find_ this?" Jack asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"That's one secret I'm not giving up," she returned as she pulled the car out of the driveway.

"I thought you hated this music," Jack mentioned as she continued to drive.

"I do.”

Jack stared at her, perplexed. "Then why are we listening to it?"

Beth stole a quick glance at him, grinning as she saw his face. "Because that embarrassed look on your face is more important."

Jack sighed. "So, you _enjoy_ hating my band's music?"

"Yup," she told him with a smile. Beth slapped his hand as he tried to eject the CD.

"Ow!" he yelped.

"What part of 'my ride, my music' did you not understand?"

Jack sighed again, louder this time. "This is going to be a long drive, isn't it?"

"Deal with it," Beth told him with a smirk. 

* * *

 

**June 2, 2017, 1:25 AM**

"It's just cinnamon and cloves. Everybody likes-" Jack paused his diatribe on pumpkin spice coffee as he recognized their surroundings. "Wait a second. Are you taking me to...?"

As Beth pulled around the corner, Jack could clearly see the Bradbury Swimming Hall looming before them. Why on Earth would Beth bring him _here_ of all places? She couldn't possibly have a single good memory left of this place, after all she'd been through.

Beth parked a short distance from the building, then got out of the car without saying a word. Jack unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door, stepping out and shutting the door behind him. Beth had the trunk open.

"Come here," she ordered, waving him over. As he approached, she pulled a large duffel bag out of the trunk and handed it to him. As he should have expected, it was much heavier than Beth made it look.

"What's this?"

"Part of the surprise," she explained. "Don't peek."

Jack grunted under the weight of the bag as he followed Beth toward the building.

"So the hard part will be getting in," Beth explained as they approached the front door.

"Just like last time."

"And you can't cheat this time," Beth added with a smirk.

Suddenly Jack had a flashback to the first time they had been to the swimming hall. He frowned as he remembered the echo he had manipulated to reach the roof. He hadn't realized at the time that it had been _her_ , and he hadn't thought about it since that day.

"What's wrong?" Beth asked, a concerned look on her face.

"I, uh... it's nothing," he lied, hefting the bag to keep it from slipping off his shoulder. "So, what's the plan?”

"You're a criminal, right?" Beth asked, digging into her pocket and pulling out a small object. As she reached out to hand it to him, Jack realized what she had planned.

"Wait a second," he complained, looking down at the bobby pins in her hand. "You want me to _pick the lock_?"

"Can you?"

"Well, yeah," he admitted. "Probably."

"Well, get cracking," she ordered, grabbing his hand and forcing him to take the pins.

Jack set the bag down next to the door and grumpily moved toward the lock. "Can't believe you're making me break into the swimming hall on my birthday."

Beth chuckled. "Do you want me to do it?"

He looked up at her. "You can pick locks?"

She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, of course you can pick locks." Jack turned back to the door.

"I thought it might be fun for you," Beth explained as he struggled with the lock. "If I was wrong-"

"No, it's fine," he interrupted, focusing on the lock. It was becoming clear he was out of practice, but luckily Beth kept her comments to herself.

Finally, Jack got the door open, and he thought he heard Beth faintly sigh in relief. Jack picked the duffel bag back up and followed her into the building. He could feel a slight tightness in his chest as they walked through the dilapidated halls; he didn't have any good memories of this place either.

That wasn't really true, though, he realized as she led him toward the pool. He had spent most of his time here _with_ Beth, after all. He smiled as he thought back to all the times she'd shut Nick down after every ridiculous thing he had said, and to the first time she had heard his band's music. It was the first time he had ever seen her _excited_ about something. He tried to forget that she had been excited to _tease_ him about it.

"Where exactly are you taking me?" Jack asked as he continued to follow her deeper into the swimming hall.

Beth snorted a laugh. "You are so impatient."

"This bag is _heavy_ ," Jack complained. Beth stopped and turned around to face him, giving him the most scathingly judgmental look he had ever seen. He was sure he shrunk to half size before she turned and continued walking.

It didn’t take long for Jack to realize where Beth was taking him as she guided him to the familiar set of double doors. Beth's old shooting range.

"Beth, I-"

Jack was interrupted as Beth reached over and grabbed the duffel back from him, setting it on the floor and waving him over.

"Open it," Beth told him.

Jack eyed her curiously, but did as he was instructed. He quickly unzipped it and looked inside. "Paint cans?" he asked. "Are you going to paint me another mural?"

"Nope," she replied curtly, grabbing one of the cans with one hand and grabbing his collar with the other, yanking him to his feet and guiding him toward the wall. "You are going to paint _me_ a mural."

"I'm going to _what?_ "

"You said you had an artsy rebel phase," Beth reminded him with a smirk, holding out the spray can.

"I can't believe you remember _half_ of what I said," Jack laughed, taking the can from her and approaching the wall.

"I remember everything you said."

Jack looked over at his shoulder, surprised to see Beth looking slightly embarrassed. Clearly the comment had slipped out unintended. He pretended not to notice and turned toward the wall that had once housed her firing range targets. "So, when I said I had an artsy rebel phase, I never said I actually _did_ any of this."

"Yeah, I figured you didn't," she told him with a chuckle, clearly over her momentary lapsed in judgement. Beth stepped forward next to him with a second spray can of paint. "Come on, I'll show you how."


	21. Chapter 21

**June 2, 2017, 3:05 AM**

"That's..." Beth paused as she looked up at the wall. "It's interesting."

Jack sighed and shook his head. "You bring me here for my birthday, make me paint for _you_ , and then criticize my work."

"Oh come on," she said playfully. "Don't pretend you didn't enjoy that."

"Maybe I did," he conceded with a grin.

Beth motioned toward the wall, pulling her phone out of her back pocket. "Go stand next to it so I can take a picture."

"You're not tweeting that," Jack warned, doing as she told him.

"Only _you_ would do that," Beth reminded him, quickly snapping a picture and slipping the phone back into her pocket.

Both of their heads turned as they heard the sound of a door slamming.

"What was that?" Jack whispered.

Beth put a finger in front of her lips. "I may have made a tactical error."

"A _what?_ " Jack asked in concern. Beth shushed him, quickly gathering up the paint cans and shoving them back into the duffel bag. She hid it under the stairs before grabbing Jack by the sleeve and hauling him toward the bathrooms.

"You remember when you had to reset the core?" Beth asked, pointing to the top of the bathroom stalls.

"You're kidding."

"There are only two kinds of people who would be in an abandoned building at three o'clock in the morning," Beth explained, "and we don't want to run into _either_ of them."

As usual, Beth had a point. Jack hoisted himself up on top of the stalls, Beth close behind, and they carefully made their way across to the stairwell. Jack was happy that, even with all of the changes to the timeline, the Bradbury Swimming Hall was still as decrepit as ever.

"Over here," Beth whispered, waving him over toward a support pillar. Whoever was in the pool would be unlikely to venture to the second floor, considering the stairs were gone. At least, that's what they both clearly hoped.

The two huddled down together behind the pillar, trying to stay as quiet as possible. Jack was trying to block out the flashbacks of his many altercations with Monarch. He didn't have super powers to protect them this time. In fact, he didn't have _anything_ to protect them.

That wasn't true, he realized, as he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket. He had that switchblade they'd lifted from that mugger back in January.

"Don't even _think_ about it," Beth warned quietly.

Jack pulled his hand out of his pocket. "I'm not gonna be a hero."

"What the fuck is this?" a man's voice echoed out of the open door.

"Looks like some kind of weird impressionist art," another second voice said.

Beth snorted a laugh in spite of herself. Not loud enough for anyone to hear, but Jack frowned nonetheless.

"Man, I told you this was a bad idea," the man said. "This place was abandoned for a reason."

"This place isn't fucking haunted," the second man said angrily. "Probably just some fucking kids from the university."

"You think they're still here?"

"They better not be if they know what's good for 'em."

Well, it wasn't the police. That only left one other option.

"Did you hear that?"

Jack's eyes went wide as he realized he had knocked a piece of stone loose from the railing behind them. He could hear Beth breathe in deeply - no doubt she assumed she would have to take care of the situation. They looked at each other as they heard the familiar sound of a gun cock.

"Jack," Beth warned, quiet but forcefully, as he reached back into his pocket.

"Trust me," he whispered, pulling out the switchblade and peeking his head over the edge of the railing. After taking a deep breath, he hurled the switchblade across the pool as far as he could. It clattered loudly on the battered tiles of the pool floor.

The gamble paid off. Both men immediately headed to investigate the noise, giving them the opening they needed. Jack took Beth by the arm and pulled her toward the end of the hall. She looked at him as if he had lost his mind as he lowered himself down from the gaping hole in the floor and dropped to the first floor. The noise was enough to draw the attention of the two men.

"Fucking hell, Jack," Beth swore under her breath as she quickly hopped down.

"Hey!" one of the men shouted from the other side of the pool.

"Time to run!" Jack barked as they both took off at a sprint toward the entrance of the pool. Jack nearly tripped as a bullet ricocheted off the floor behind him. " _Run!_ "

The two of them burst out of the front door like their pants were on fire. Jack had been happy that Beth had parked far enough away that the two thugs hadn't spotted the car, but he was definitely wishing it was closer now.

"Go go go!" Jack shouted as Beth fumbled with the keys.

"Shut up," she hissed through clenched teeth. Finally, she was able to get the car started, and with a loud squeal of the tires she peeled out onto the road.

Jack breathed a sigh of relief as it became clear that they had successfully escaped. Beth was painfully silent as she drove them back home.

"You don't have to feel bad," Jack offered after a few minutes.

"I nearly got you _killed_ on your birthday," she told him flatly.

"You couldn't have known the place was already occupied," Jack replied with a chuckle. "Besides, they liked my shitty art."

Beth laughed. "Stop, I'm trying to be mad at myself."

"As the birthday boy, I forbid it."

She glanced at him briefly as she continued to drive. "You're really not mad about this?"

"Well I mean getting shot at on my birthday certainly isn't _ideal_ ," Jack admitted, "but this doesn't even come close to making the list of worst birthdays ever."

Beth sighed in frustration. "You should be mad."

"Do you _want_ me to be mad?" he asked with a frown. "Pretty sure they didn't get a good look at us or the car, so since neither of us has any fresh bullet holes, I'm not particularly concerned."

"I'm glad I got a picture of it," Beth said after a moment.

"Me too, because we are _never_ coming back here." Jack was happy to see Beth smile again. "I'm glad you didn't have to wrestle those guys into submission."

"Me too," she told him. "I mean, I _could_ have."

Jack grinned. "I know." 

* * *

**June 2, 2017, 3:45 AM**

Beth hung the car keys on the rack just beside the door as Jack moved forward to take his shoes off. He hung his coat on the coat rack and turned around, surprised to see Beth was missing. She hadn't gone far - just to the living room - but it was just enough that Jack knew his work wasn't done.

He understood why she was rattled. Being shot at was upsetting, and he knew she blamed herself. There was no _reason_ for her to blame herself, but he knew Beth.

"Well, I don't think I'll be able to get back to sleep," he announced as he stepped into the living room. Beth was next to the bookshelf, staring at one of the pictures on the top shelf.

"I'm sorry," she muttered without turning around.

"I told you it's not a big deal," he reminded her as he walked across the living room toward her. "It's not like I've never been shot at before."

"You've never been shot at because of _me._ "

"That is a blatant lie," Jack told her with a laugh. "You need to give yourself a break."

Beth turned her head to look away from him.

"Hey!" Jack barked, prompting her to turn back toward him. "It's my birthday. Stop _pouting._ "

"I'm not-"

"You're pouting."

Beth pursed her lips before crossing her arms over her chest.

"Give me your phone," Jack ordered.

"Excuse me?"

Jack made a grabby hand motion toward her, to which she just furrowed her brow. "Okay fine, send me the picture then."

Beth sighed, pulled out her phone, and unlocked it before handing it to him.

"Beth I can't believe you did this to me," he complained with a frown.

"What?"

Jack turned the phone around to show her.

"Oh my god, Jack."

"My eyes are closed!" he lamented dramatically, pointing at the screen.

"Jack Joyce."

He laughed as he moved forward, pulling Beth into a hug, much to her obvious dismay. "Thank you for the perfect birthday," Jack whispered in her ear as he hugged her tightly. He breathed a sigh of relief as, after a moment of tense hesitation, she returned the hug.

Jack blinked in surprise when, as he tried to release the hug, Beth kissed him.

" _Oh shit,_ " she breathed, her eyes filled with panic. Clearly _that_ hadn't been planned. As she tried to pull away, Jack instinctively grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

As he kissed her, he could feel every muscle in Beth's body tense, as if she were terrified, but before Jack could react, he felt her hands reach up to the side of his face. She leaned into him with enough force that Jack was worried he might lose his balance. As he felt his hands wrap around her back, he began to feel the anxiety creep up on him.

Jack broke away from her, breathing in deeply as he saw Beth's expression turn to confusion. "I'm sorry," he told her, trying to catch his breath. "I can't do this."

"What?" Beth asked, her tone a mixture of confusion and pain. He could tell she was expecting him to hurt her, which wasn't making things any easier.

"Beth, there's something I haven't told you," Jack began, taking a deep breath. Beth stared at him anxiously. "Beth, I'm... I'm transgender."

Beth's expression changed from curiosity to surprise, and Jack felt like he was about to collapse into a black hole. "Jack, I know."

That was not what he was expecting her to say.

"You know...?" Jack repeated, trying to process what she had said.

"Yeah, I know."

"H-ho, how, how do you...? How long...?" He was having trouble formulating words. He thought he would feel relief that she wasn't surprised, but for some reason it was just making everything worse.

"I've known since February."

" _February?_ " Jack nearly shouted. "You've known since February and you didn't _say_ anything?"

Beth stared at him speechless.

"What's going on?" Beth and Jack both turned toward the stairs to see Will groggily staring at them.

"Sorry, did we wake you?" Jack asked, breathing a sigh of relief at the distraction.

"Are you both okay?" Will asked with a frown.

Jack glanced at Beth, then turned his attention back to his brother. "Yeah, I just couldn't sleep. I was gonna go get some fresh air."

"Jack..."

He ignored Beth's plea and headed for the door. He needed some time to think.


	22. Chapter 22

**June 2, 2017, 4:06 AM**

Jack wasn't even sure where he was anymore, but after twenty minutes of wandering the neighborhood, he was no closer to sorting out his feelings than he had been when he left the house. He couldn't believe that Beth had known about him for _four months_ and hadn't said a thing.

Suddenly, Jack's mind drifted back to the grocery store. "She _knew_ ," he whispered to himself. Beth must have known _exactly_ what Janet was about to say, and had stopped her. "Oh my god, Jack, you idiot."

It suddenly hit him that Beth hadn't said anything because she _knew_ he didn't want her to know. She wasn't stupid. In fact, she was the farthest thing from it. She did exactly what she thought he wanted her to, and he couldn't appreciate it.

"Fuck," he whispered to himself, running both hands through his hair. He reached into his pocket to check his phone, but was disappointed to see no notifications. After about half a minute, he realized there were none because he still had Beth's phone. She couldn't get in touch with him, even if she wanted to. _I am the biggest asshole on the planet_ , he thought to himself. Time to head home.

After figuring out where he'd wandered off to, Jack made the quickest beeline home that he could. He barreled into the house loud enough to wake the entire neighborhood. "Beth?" he called. No answer.

"Garage," Will announced from the living room.

"Why are you still awake?" Jack asked with a frown.

"I know a miss a lot of things," Will explained, looking up from his book, "but even I can tell you two had a fight."

Jack frowned.

"She wouldn't tell me what it was about, but she seemed upset," Will clarified. "And Beth never gets upset like _that_ , so I didn't want to go back to bed until you got back."

"Thanks, Will," Jack told his brother with a smile. "You can head up, if you want. I can handle this." He paused. "I think."

Will got up from his chair and moved to Jack, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You can."

Jack smiled. "Thanks, Will."

Will smiled back, then headed toward the stairs. "Don't stay up all night."

"Okay Mom," Jack chuckled. As Will disappeared up the stairs, Jack moved swiftly toward the garage.

As he opened the side door to the garage, Jack could see Beth on the far side. She was bench pressing what appeared to be a small building. It was the first time Jack had ever seen her struggle. He quickly darted across the room and grabbed the bar, helping her set it back on the rest. There was an awkward silence between them as Beth stared up at him.

"I'm sorry I just left like that," he told her after a moment. They continued to stare at each other until Jack finally laughed. "You want to, like, sit up or something?"

Beth got up as Jack walked around to sit at the end of the bench facing her. She was avoiding eye contact, and Jack realized he'd really screwed up this time.

"Hey," he said, reaching up and moving her face to look at him. "I'm sorry I made you think I was mad."

"You should be," she finally responded.

"No, I shouldn't," he disagreed. "You did what you thought I wanted you to do. I should be flattered, honestly."

Beth looked up at him. It was the same face from the swimming hall in 2010, and Jack’s heart nearly broke.

"I told you I don't like surprises," Jack told her, reaching out and taking her hand. She flinched but didn't pull away. "This is a conversation I usually prepare for in advance. I just... _panicked_ , because I wasn't ready for it. I'm sorry that made it seem like I was angry.

"I _didn't_ want you to know," he continued, forcing himself not to break eye contact with her. "I didn't want you to know for selfish reasons." He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "It's easier for me when people don't know. When they know, they... treat me differently, you know?"

"Jack, I..."

"I should feel grateful to know that you've known for months, and you've _never_ done anything to make me even realize it."

"What are you saying?" Beth finally asked, gripping his hand tighter than she probably intended or realized.

"I'm saying that I'm a mess," Jack told her, looking her in the eyes, "and that I want to trust you."

Beth frowned. "You _want_ to trust me?'

Jack sighed. "I do want to trust you," he told her, "and if it were my choice, it wouldn't an issue. But I've been burned so many times that-"

"It's out of your control," Beth finished for him, with a knowing nod. "I get it."

"So, what I'm saying, Beth Wilder, is I guess if you're still interested, I'd love to... be a mess with you."

She blinked twice before laughing. "That is... the strangest pickup line I've ever heard."

"It's very me," Jack assured her with a lopsided smile, "not to mention extremely accurate for both of us."

Beth reached forward to grab hold of Jack's shirt with both hands and pulled him forward. This time the kiss was intentional. Calm. Perfect.

"Can I ask you a favor?" Beth asked as they released each other.

"Anything."

Beth laughed nervously. "You say that now..."

"What is it?" Jack asked with a frown.

"Will you, um... stay with me tonight?"

"Pardon?" Jack asked, leaning back slightly.

"See, I told you."

"I just, um, that's moving awfully quickly, don't you think?"

Beth rolled her eyes. "Not like _that_."

"Oh," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm just... really tired of these nightmares," she explained with a blush. "And after getting _shot_ at tonight..."

"Oh, right, that makes sense," Jack said with a nod. "I guess I could, um..."

"Are you blushing?" Beth asked with a smirk.

Jack looked at her before rolling his eyes with a smile. "Yes, I think I probably am."

Beth stood up and swung her leg over the edge of the bench, then held out her hand. "Come on, let's go inside."

Jack took her hand before getting up himself. "Hey, make me a promise before we leave."

"Hm?"

"Don't try to benchpress three of me without a spotter to punish yourself."

Beth laughed and shook her head, grabbing Jack by the arm and pulling him toward the door. "Shut up and let's go."


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: Transphobia mention.

**June 2, 2017, 11:37 AM**

As the sun streamed through the windows, Jack slowly and groggily opened his eyes. What time was it? Jack reached behind him to grab his phone, remembering too late that he wasn't in his own bed. He unceremoniously elbowed Beth directly in the back of the head, prompting a very surprised groan.

"Fuck, I'm sorry Beth," Jack stammered as he turned to see her wincing at him.

"Good morning to you, too," Beth grumbled, reaching up to rub her head. "What time is it?"

Jack grabbed his phone from the bedside table in front of him, where he finally realized he'd left it the night before, and turned the screen on to check the time. "About half past eleven."

"What?" Beth asked in surprise, grabbing his wrist and yanking it and the phone toward her. She beamed as she saw the clock on the screen. "I slept more than four hours without a nightmare."

"You're welcome," Jack told her with a smirk. Beth rolled her eyes and shoved him. It was a playful shove, but it was just enough to make him lose his balance and tumble backward off the edge of the bed, taking half the bedsheets with him.

Beth put her hand over her mouth, trying and failing not to laugh at him as he groaned in pain. "Sorry," she finally managed.

Jack finally untangled himself from the sheets and tossed them at her. "Fine, I can see when I'm not wanted."

"No, wait," she pleaded between laughs, shoving aside the sheets and grabbing his arm to pull him back onto the bed. "Thank you for being willing to be my guinea pig."

Jack shrugged with a smile as he swung his legs up onto the bed and laid back down. "Turns out your bed is actually more comfortable than mine."

"Is that so?" she asked with a smirk.

"Don't get any ideas," Jack warned with a wag of his finger.

She snorted a laugh and then laid down next to him, turning to rest her head on his shoulder after a moment. "Is this what it's like?"

"Is this what _what's_ like?" Jack asked her.

"The whole... _relationship_ thing," Beth clarified.

"I think so," Jack responded, eyeing her curiously. "I'm notoriously bad at relationships, though, so I'm not the best judge of what's normal."

"Well I told my eight-year-old self never to trust anyone, so you'd know better than me," she countered with a dry laugh.

"Damn, Beth, you really missed out on a lot because of all this bullshit, didn't you?"

She shrugged slightly. "I guess."

Jack turned and gently kissed her on the forehead. "Guess I get to keep being your guinea pig."

"I'll probably be really bad at this," she warned. "All I've ever had was sarcasm and a gun."

Jack chuckled. "Well at least when _I_ fuck up, you can't shoot me with sarcasm."

"You'd be surprised."

He shook his head with a smile. "Don't think I missed that reference, by the way."

She sighed in exasperation, trying to hold back a smile. "Have you seen _every_ romantic comedy?"

"Have you?" Jack countered. "Until you insisted we watch Charmed, I wouldn't have expected you to like that kind of thing."

"I have layers."

"Don't go quoting Shrek now." Beth cocked an eyebrow, much to Jack's dismay. "Oh no, you've never seen Shrek?"

"I'm going to stop you right there," Beth told him, sitting up on the bed.

Jack propped himself up on his elbows. "Not romantic enough for a first date?"

"Jack," she breathed in exasperation, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

"I'm kidding," he laughed, pushing himself up into a sitting position. He reached over to check the time on his phone. Almost noon. He was glad that the two of them being missing for hours would not be the kind of thing Will would be curious about. In fact, he probably hadn't even noticed.

"Looking to escape?" Beth asked seriously as he set the phone back down on the table.

"No, I was just thinking," Jack explained. "I think we probably should finish talking about last night."

"You mean about you."

Jack smiled, trying to hide the spike of anxiety that was threatening to spill out. "I, you know, figured you might have, uh... _questions_."

Beth laughed lightly. "You sounded so pained to say that."

Jack pursed his lips as he thought back to some of the _interesting_ questions his friends had asked in the past. "Cisgender people tend to ask... _odd_ things."

"I told you I've known since February," Beth reminded him, crossing her arms in her lap and leaning forward onto her thighs. "I wasn't doing _nothing_ for four months."

Jack stared at her for a moment, trying to decide how to respond. She sat patiently, a look of cool confidence on her face. It was clear that, at the very least, she _thought_ she knew what she needed to. Time would tell, but he had said it himself that he wanted to trust her with this. The only way to test that trust was to jump into the pool feet first and hope for the best.

"Okay, I do have _one_ question," Beth admitted after a few minutes. _Oh boy, here it is_. "You don't have to answer it if you're not comfortable."

Jack was prepared for the worst. "Go for it."

"So, uh, _Janet..._ "

Beth seemed surprised as Jack sighed in relief. "I thought you were going to ask me something really weird," he explained with a chuckle. "I dated Janet in high school. Becky set us up."

"Becky your ex, Becky?"

Jack frowned. "How did you know she's my ex?"

"Uh, I may have asked Will about her," Beth admitted, with an apologetic shrug.

"Ah, Will and your painful honesty," Jack chuckled to himself. "Becky was very much into girls and _only_ girls, so when I realized I definitely wasn't one, the relationship pretty much evaporated. But she was my best friend up through high school."

"What about Paul?" Beth asked.

Jack laughed. "Becky _hated_ Paul."

Beth cocked an eyebrow. "I like Becky already."

"They used to compete for my attention," Jack explained with a laugh. "It was annoying, quite frankly."

"Poor little popular Jack," Beth laughed.

"Yeah, well, Becky decided that since _our_ relationship didn't work, it was her job to set me up with anyone and _everyone_ ," Jack continued. "When I was sixteen, she set me up with Janet. I was in _love_ with that girl. Convinced we were soul mates. And... then she found out."

"Oh, I can see where this is going," Beth murmured with a frown.

"Yeah, she was not thrilled, to say the least," Jack continued. "She accused me of lying to her, tricking her. She told _everybody_."

"God, Jack, I'm sorry."

Jack shrugged. "It happens."

"This is why you didn't want me to know?" she asked after a moment.

"Partly," Jack admitted. "I didn't think you'd _hate_ me or anything, but... I didn't want things to _change_ , you know?" He laughed quietly to himself. "It was selfish of me, I know."

"Hey, I don't blame you," she told him. "I mean, I'm glad I fucked things up and forced you to tell me, but..."

Jack laughed. "A happy accident, huh?"

"Something like that," she agreed with a smirk.

Jack reached over and check the time on his phone again. "As much as I'm enjoying this conversation, I'm also starving," he told her, gesturing toward the door. "Lunch?"

"Solid plan," Beth agreed, hopping off the bed. "So, you're going to tell Will, right?"

Jack laughed nervously as he got up and moved toward the bedroom door. "We can talk about that later."

"Jack," Beth chided as she followed him. Jack grinned and dashed for the stairs. "Jack!"


	24. Chapter 24

**June 22, 2017, 9:22 AM**

"Jack, you have to tell him eventually."

"I will," Jack promised with a lackluster smile, "eventually."

Beth rolled her eyes with a sigh, picking up her empty bowl and heading to the kitchen.

It had been three weeks since Jack's birthday and he still hadn't told Will that he and Beth were together. They'd just been avoiding him, which wasn't really difficult since he was always either at the university or in his lab, but it still managed to be exhausting.

Jack wasn't _afraid_ to tell Will. His brother wouldn't have a problem with it, but Jack knew it would still be an awkward conversation, so he was avoiding it. Beth had threatened to talk to Will herself multiple times, which would be even _more_ awkward. He knew if he didn't do it soon she would absolutely follow through on the threat.

"It won't be as bad as you think," Beth told him as she returned with a newly-filled bowl of store-brand Cheerios.

"I can't believe you eat such boring cereal," Jack said with a chuckle as she sat back down at the table.

"Don't change the subject," she warned, pointing at him with her spoon. "You _need_ to tell him. I'm tired of sneaking around."

"Is it really sneaking when he's barely here?" Jack asked, shrinking slightly as Beth gave him a withering glare. "Okay, okay. Fine."

"Tonight," she ordered firmly.

Jack grumbled with a whine. " _Fine_."

Beth returned to her bowl with a satisfied smile. "Go get the paper so we can do the crossword."

"Yes ma'am," he told her with a smirk, dashing toward the front door as she waved the spoon at him threateningly.

* * *

**June 22, 2017, 6:43 PM**

"Well, you didn't set anything on fire," Beth commented as Jack set the table.

"And I only set off the smoke alarm twice," he added.

She laughed. "Your bar for success is extremely low."

"I saved the entire world," he reminded her. "No sense in trying to measure back up to _that_."

"I'll let you have that one," Beth told him with a chuckle, grabbing him by the shirt as he turned around and leaning up to kiss him. She pulled away quickly as she heard the doorknob turn.

"Welcome home," Jack said as Will stepped inside, avoiding eye contact with Beth so he wouldn't have to witness the annoyed expression on her face.

" _Tonight_ ," she whispered in his ear as she passed him to sit down.

"I made dinner," Jack announced as Will stepped into the dining room. He stopped short and looked down at the food, then up at Jack. Beth snickered. "It's safe!"

Will turned to look at Beth. "It's fine, I supervised," she assured him with a smirk.

Jack grunted in annoyance as he took his seat next to Beth.

The three of them ate in relative silence, which Jack hoped was not related to the quality of his cooking. Beth had him make spaghetti since it was hard to screw up, according to her. He thought it tasted okay, and he knew Will wasn't picky. If it was a failure, he'd hear about it from her later.

"Beth and I are dating," Jack suddenly blurted out, causing Beth to nearly choke on her drink.

She turned to stare at him. "When I said _tonight,_ I meant _later_ ," she whispered.

"You both realize you're not nearly as discreet as you think, right?" Will asked casually before stuffing a fork-full of spaghetti in his mouth.

Beth and Jack turned to look at each other, then back at Will.

"So... you already knew?" Jack asked, prompting a nod of confirmation from his brother. Jack turned to Beth. "I'm just going to assume _everyone_ knows everything about me from now on."

She rolled her eyes, trying to hide a smile. "Nice try, Joyce."

"Is there garlic in this?" Will asked, taking another bite.

Jack laughed. He shouldn't be surprised that Will could gloss over such a big pronouncement in approximately six and a half seconds. That was Will, after all.

"Jack burned the garlic so badly the first time that he set off the smoke alarm," Beth explained, despite Jack's petulant expression. "And the second time."

"You don't need to say everything that comes to mind," Jack pouted, prompting a laugh even from Will. Jack sighed, realizing it was going to be a long night.

* * *

**June 22, 2017, 8:55 PM**

"So wait, were you trying to imply that I'm an ogre?" Beth asked as she stared at the TV with a frown on her face.

"What?" Jack asked, a sudden look of panic on his face. "No, I wasn't-"

"Are you two going to talk through the _entire_ movie?" Will asked from the end of the couch.

Jack chuckled. "You know I always do."

The three of them finished watching the movie and Will immediately descended into the basement.

"Does he actually sleep?" Beth asked as she watched the door close.

Jack shrugged. "I think he might have a sleeping bag down there, actually."

"Thanks for telling him," Beth said a chuckle.

Jack looked at her. "Even though he already knew?"

"Even though you blurted it out in the middle of dinner like a goddamn fool."

Jack smiled and put his arm around her, pulling her closer to him. "Well, at least we won't have to sneak around anymore."

"Which we wouldn't have had to do if you had told him _earlier_ ," Beth reminded him, ducking under his arm.

"Are you mad at me?'

Beth rolled her eyes, then a smile gradually spread across her face. "No, I'm not mad at you," she told him. "I know you've got... _stuff_ with Will."

"Well, at least he didn't catch us doing anything," Jack offered with an innocent smile.

"You are _lucky_ he didn't."

"Now I just have to figure out how to tell Paul."

"Oh god," Beth groaned. "Why do you need to tell _Paul?_ "

"Because he's my best friend, despite my better judgment," Jack explained. "And besides, I'm an awful liar."

"Clearly," Beth agreed with a chuckle.

"You _know_ we did a terrible job if Will figured it out on his own," Jack laughed. "Anyway, Paul can wait. It's not like he's just going to show up here someday."

"I _know_ he has better survival instincts than that." Beth glanced over her shoulder toward the kitchen. "Do we still have ice cream?"

"I think so," Jack said, following her gaze. She turned back toward him and winked before getting up from the couch and pulling him toward the kitchen.


	25. Chapter 25

**July 2, 2017, 3:42 AM**

Jack woke up with a gasp and it took him a moment to remember where he was. He was in bed. With Beth. A quick turn of his head confirmed that he hadn't jostled her enough to wake her. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

As carefully as he could, Jack extricated himself from Beth and from the bed, hoping upon hope that she would stay asleep. He sighed in relief as he slipped out of the bed, leaving Beth none the wiser. He quietly opened the door and tiptoed down the stairs.

The nightmares were becoming more vivid and more frequent. Jack thought he'd shaken them when he'd gone three months without one, but almost as soon as he had started sleeping with Beth they had returned in full force.

Jack stepped into the kitchen and reached for the pantry door, but hesitated as his hand gripped the handle. With a sigh, he released it and went for the fridge. He opened the door and grabbed a bottle of beer, quickly twisting off the cap and tossing onto the counter before heading for the living room.

As he plopped down on the couch, he took a long swig from the bottle. The cheap beer left a bad aftertaste in his mouth, but at least it gave him something else to think about.

Jack reached toward the coffee table and grabbed the remote. There was probably nothing good on TV at 4am, but maybe he could find something mindless to watch. The news? No, there wouldn't be anything good _there_.

He took a long quaff from the bottle before opting for Netflix, quickly searching through his options before settling on Great British Bake Off. There was bound to be at least one good dick joke.

"Jack."

He blinked his eyes.

"Jack, wake up."

He blinked again. "Beth...?"

Jack blinked, harder this time. His head was swimming, but he could still make out Beth's face. She was looking at him in a way he had never seen before. She looked _worried._

Before he could say anything, Beth stepped away from him. He looked around. The TV was turned off and all the lights were on. He blinked a few more times, suddenly realizing that he must've fallen asleep. Sun streamed through the windows, and Jack knew he was in for an interrogation. Later, he hoped, because his head pounded.

His head snapped to the left as he heard Beth walk back into the room. She sat next to him and handed him a glass of water.

Jack's vision was finally beginning to focus, and he could see the six empty bottles on the coffee table. Beth didn't say anything as he took a sip from the glass, but he knew she could obviously see them too.

She sat next to him, patiently and quietly. The silence was excruciating for him. He could feel her stare boring into him, as if her eyes were daggers. He knew he was overreacting. It didn't matter.

"Do you-"

"No," Jack cut her off.

She sat quietly next to him for what felt like an eternity. Jack took another sip from the glass, breathing in and out slowly and deliberately to keep himself calm.

"How can I help?" she finally asked quietly.

"What time is it?" Jack asked evasively. "Where's my-"

Beth pulled his phone out of her pocket and handed it to him. He looked up at her briefly, quickly looking away to avoid the concerned expression on her face. He must look a mess for her to be that concerned.

It was almost half past nine. Beth must've woken up alone and gone looking for him. He couldn't imagine what was going through her head, but he also couldn't bring himself to look at her.

Jack quickly turned the phone screen on and navigated to the texting app.   

> **Jack**  
>  lunch?  
>  _Sun 9:23 AM_
> 
> **Paul**  
>  Can't leave. Come to my place?  
>  _Sun 9:25 AM_
> 
> **Jack**  
>  text me the address  
>  _Sun 9:27 AM_

"Jack," Beth said, trying to get his attention.

"I'm fine," he assured her. He was lying, and he realized she knew it, but he was hoping she would let it go.

"Jack." Of course she wouldn't let it go.

"I'll be fine," he clarified. _That_ wasn't a lie. At least he hoped it wasn't.

"I know you don't want to talk about it," Beth told him, "but if you change your mind..."

"I know," Jack told her with a weak smile.

Jack looked down at his phone. Paul had sent directions to his place.      

> **Jack**  
>  ill be there  
>  _Sun 9:35 AM_

* * *

**July 2, 2017, 11:17 AM**

Jack was mostly sober by the time he arrived at Paul's townhouse. He walked up the steps, doing his best to look as though he wasn't massively hungover, and jammed the doorbell with his thumb. Paul quickly buzzed him in. _Of course he wouldn't come to the door himself._

He pushed open the unlocked door and stepped inside. Even in the entry hall, Jack could see that this was most definitely Paul's place. The walls were littered with art pieces. They were modern, which Jack knew Paul liked, but he'd never understand the appeal.

"Jack!" Paul greeted him at the end of the hall.

"Hey, Paul," Jack returned, accepting his friend's hug. He did a lackluster job of returning it, which he was sure Paul noticed. He was good enough not to say anything, though.

"What brings you all the way out here on a Sunday?" Paul asked, motioning for Jack to follow him. He led Jack to what he assumed was a living room. It was uncomfortable, at best. The furniture was sparse, and both the architecture and furnishings reminded him of the Monarch tower. _Some things never change_ , he thought to himself.

"I figured I hadn't seen you in a while," Jack offered, hoping it was believable. It wasn't.

"You look like you got hit by a train," Paul said flatly. "Why are you really here?"

Jack sighed. "I needed to get out of the house," he admitted. "Beth was about to give me the third degree."

"About...?"

"About why she found me hungover on the couch this morning," Jack explained with a sigh.

Paul quirked an eyebrow. "Is that unusual?"

"We're not in college anymore, Paul," Jack reminded him with a weak laugh. "So yeah. It's unusual."

As Paul looked at him, Jack couldn't remember why he thought bringing this up had been a good idea. Paul, after all, was the source of the problem. In fact, Jack wasn't sure why he thought visiting Paul had been a good idea at all.

"So why are you here, Jack?" Paul repeated.

"I... don't know," Jack admitted. "You're my best friend, but..."

"But?"

"You're the problem," Jack told him before he could stop himself.

Paul stared at him for a moment. It wasn't a stare of surprise, by any means. Paul was a smart man. It was almost certain he understood exactly what Jack meant.

"Tell me."

Jack stared at him. He hadn't intended this when he'd texted Paul. Maybe he should have anticipated it. Maybe it was unavoidable. "You killed her."

"She's alive, Jack," Paul reminded her with a solemn expression on his face.

"It doesn't _matter,_ " Jack told him, an edge in his voice. "I _saw_ it, Paul. I _saw_ you."

Paul stared at him with a frown.

"I saw you kill her."

Paul lowered his gaze. "You saw an echo."

"You shot her in the head," Jack spat.

"I didn't know who she _was_ ," Paul exclaimed.

Jack punched him. He didn't mean to, and he didn't plan to. But suddenly he was there, standing before his best friend, watching the blood trickle from his lip. Paul didn't retaliate. In fact, he almost didn't react. It was as if he knew he deserved it.

"Paul, I-"

"Jack, don't," Paul pleaded, holding a hand up to stop him. "I've done terrible things. This is the least of what I deserve."

"I..." Jack faltered, looking down at the floor.

"You love her," Paul finished for him.

Jack looked up in surprise.

"You don't have to say it," Paul told him with a smile. "I know you, and I know what this is."

"I didn't come here for this," Jack assured him with a frown.

"I know," Paul replied, putting a hand on Jack's shoulder. "I knew this wasn't going to be easy for us, Jack. I knew this was coming."

"I didn't," Jack told him with a weak laugh.

"That's because you're a good guy," Paul returned with a grin. "Look, Jack, I know she hates me, and I know you don't trust me, even if you _think_ you do..."

"Paul."

"Let me finish." Paul took a deep breath. "I can't make up for what I've done, but I can help you move forward."

"How?" Jack asked.

"If you need _anything_ , all you have to do is ask," Paul told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "If you need to talk to... _someone_... about what you've been through, let me know."

Jack narrowed his eyes.

"I'm serious, Jack," Paul told him seriously. "There are benefits to being who I am."

Jack narrowed his eyes even more.

Paul sighed. "Jack, if you need a therapist to talk to about _everything_ , I know a guy."

"You know a guy...?"

"I hired a guy," Paul clarified. "To be discreet."

"Paul."

"I'm not going to have him killed afterward," Paul assured him with a light chuckle.

Jack furrowed his brow. "So, you want me to believe you hired some guy to listen to you talk about time travel and, what, _not_ tell you you're crazy?"

"Something like that," Paul replied with a winsome smile.

Jack frowned so hard he felt he was going to pull a muscle.

"It's Sofia," Paul finally told him with a roll of his eyes.

Jack quirked an eyebrow. "She's not a psychologist."

"Take what you can get," Paul suggested.

Jack looked at him. "Are you sleeping with her?"

"Are you sleeping with Beth?" Paul returned.

"What?" Jack asked, recoiling slightly. "No."

This time Paul cocked an eyebrow.

"I'm not!" Jack assured him.

" _Why_ not?"

"Christ, Paul," Jack said under his breath. "Not everything is about sex."

"I don't get you, Jack," Paul told him with a sigh. "You obviously adore her..."

"Sometimes life isn't as simple as you seem to think it is," Jack told him with a frown.

"Are you worried she's going to be weird about it?" Paul asked gently.

Jack hesitated for a moment. He wasn't, of course, but it was a valid question. One only Paul would ask, naturally.

"I'm worried _I'll_ be weird about it."

Paul smiled slightly. "That _does_ sound like you."

"I didn't come here to talk about Beth."

"Didn't you?" Paul asked with a knowing smile.

Jack had, to be fair. He had intended to come to tell Paul about him and Beth, but...

"Does she know?" Paul asked after a moment.

Jack looked up. "Yeah, she knows."

"Good." Paul smiled earnestly. "I know she still wants to kill me, but I won't hold that against her."

"You're so charitable," Jack chuckled.

"Jack, I mean this in the nicest way," Paul began, "but go home."

Jack frowned at him.

"I don't know what's going on with you," Paul told him, "but I know it's something you should be talking to _her_ about."

"You're right," Jack agreed with a weak smile. "I'll, uh, text you later."

"Good," Paul told him with a smile. After a moment of hesitation, Jack moved forward and hugged him.

"Thanks, Paul."

"Go home." 

* * *

**July 2, 2017, 2:51 PM**

Jack pushed the door the house open, happy to finally be home. He kicked his shoes off and did a quick check of the first floor. Beth was nowhere to be seen. He knew she would be in one of two places - her bedroom, or the garage.

The bedroom was the more likely choice, so Jack quickly headed up the stairs and moved toward her door. He hesitated as he reached it. She had been worried in the morning, but considering he had simply _left_ she might be angry now.

Jack decided to risk it and gently rapped at the door.

"Jack?" Beth's voice echoed from inside. Jack slowly pushed open the door to see her sitting on the edge of her bed. She quickly stood as she saw him. "Where the fuck have you been?"

Jack didn't want to tell her, but lying certainly wasn't an option. "I was with Paul."

"Paul," she repeated, an edge in her voice.

"I punched him, if it makes you feel better." That certainly took her by surprise.

"You... punched him?" she asked.

"On accident," Jack clarified. "And then he reminded me where I should be."

Beth stared at him suspiciously for a moment, and then her expression softened. "I'm glad you're back."

"I missed you too," Jack told her with a smirk.

"That's not what I meant," Beth told him with a frown.

"So, you didn't miss me."

Beth glared at him. "Look, Jack Joyce-"

Jack wrapped her up in a hug, interrupting whatever she had intended to say. She seemed surprised at first, but quickly returned the gesture.

"Jack, are you okay?" she finally asked.

"I will be," he told her.

"Promise?"

Jack smiled, tightening his grip. "I promise."


	26. Chapter 26

**July 4, 2017, 12:32 AM**

Jack stared at the ceiling, willing himself to stay awake. He hadn't slept much since Sunday. He was afraid the nightmare would come back. He hadn't realized at the time what day it was. The first time he'd lived through 2017, the day hadn't affected him nearly as much. But here it was. July 4th.

He jumped as his phone buzzed. It was Beth.   

> **Beth**  
>  you awake?  
>  _Tue 12:34 AM_
> 
> **Jack**  
>  yah  
>  _Tue 12:35 AM_

Jack stared at the screen, waiting for a response. Instead, the door opened and Beth peeked her head inside.

"Couldn't sleep," she explained, pushing the door open and coming inside when he didn't object. Beth closed the door behind her, then grabbed the chair from Jack's desk. Setting it down next to the bed, she straddled it backwards and rested her chin on the back. "You've been avoiding me since Sunday."

"I know," Jack admitted, looking away from her. He had opted to sleep in his own room after Sunday's escapades, not wanting to risk waking her if he had another nightmare. Which he did. And so here he was, for the second night in a row.

"This is going to sound hypocritical," Beth began, "but you might feel better if you talk about it."

Jack laughed lightly. "You're right, that does sound hypocritical."

"You've always been better at that honesty thing," she shrugged. "Offer's still on the table."

He smiled weakly. "I appreciate the gesture, Beth, but I don't want to bring you down with me."

"Look, Jack, we're in this together," she reminded him. "We're all we've got."

Jack locked eyes with her for a long moment. He knew that this was a difficult role for her to fill, but she was trying anyway. He could feel the tightness growing in his chest, like a vice on his heart.

"It's the fourth of July," he finally told her with a shrug. "Not exactly a great day for either of us."

"That's putting it lightly," Beth chuckled.

"There's something I never told you about that day," Jack continued, breaking his eye contact with her and fidgeting with the sheets. "You remember that echo I saw of you and Will in his workshop?"

"Yeah," Beth nodded.

Jack drew in a deep breath, then let it out. "That wasn't the only echo I saw there."

Beth frowned.

"When the countermeasure went off, it somehow blasted me back to the same place in 2016," Jack explained, swallowing the growing lump in his throat. Just talking about this was almost too much.

" _Oh_." She clearly realized what he was trying to imply, much to Jack's relief. "You've been having nightmares about... _me?_ "

Jack nodded. "I used to have them every once in a while, but ever since we got together, they've just been..."

Beth silently got up from her chair and moved to the bed, motioning for Jack to move over before crawling in beside him.  "Give me your phone," she ordered, holding her hand out.

Jack handed her his cellphone, earning a satisfied smirk. She quickly navigated to his Netflix app. "You were watching that baking show the other day, right?"

"You want to watch Great British Bake Off?" Jack asked with a confused chuckle.

"When I found you passed out on the couch, they were making some kind of, I don't know, bread crown I think," Beth explained with a shrug, starting up the episode. "I'm curious."

"You going to start baking for me?" Jack asked with a smirk.

"Depends on how interesting these bakes are," she returned.

"I can always be your assistant."

"Not if it involves grating lemon zest," Beth returned with a wry smile. "We don't need any grated fingers in the dough."

"Okay, that's fair."

"Oh, he's doing that _very_ wrong," Beth said as she watched intently. Jack couldn't help but smile as she inched the phone closer and closer to herself.

"All the technicals are kind of like that," Jack told her, gently grabbing her wrist and pulling the phone back in between them.

Beth glanced up at him with a slight smile before turning her attention back to the show.

"I don't think I've eaten anything that fancy in my entire life," Jack commented as they watched the bakers decorate their bakes.

"That poor guy, thinking he did such a good job and coming in last," Beth chuckled.

"That would be me."

Beth snorted as she looked up at him. "Are you saying you'd actually think you did well?"

"Ouch," he complained. "Not that you're wrong, but..."

She chuckled and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I hope this Ruby girl wins."

"Good luck," Jack replied. "The people I want to win _never_ win."

Beth raised an eyebrow at one of the host's comments. "Did she just... was that a euphemism?"

Jack laughed and put his arm around her. "Oh Beth, welcome to Great British Bake Off." 

* * *

  **July 4, 2017 10:02 AM**

Jack sprang upright in bed. "Beth, we fell asleep."

She groaned as her eyes fluttered open. "Did you have another nightmare?"

"No," Jack admitted sheepishly, earning another groan.

"Then why did you wake me up?"

Jack felt a blush in his cheeks as she looked at him in annoyance. "Sorry."

Beth sighed, then sat up and climbed out of the bed and took a step toward the door. She stopped and turned around, crossing her arms impatiently. "You coming?"

Jack quickly sprang out of bed and followed her down the stairs. Will was already sitting at the table eating a slice of toast, which Jack hoped meant that there would already be coffee in the pot. He breathed a sigh of relief to see the coffee pot nearly full.

Beth had gone straight to the table, so Jack filled two mugs and moved to join her and his brother. Will had already brought in the paper, and naturally Beth was already perusing the crossword.

"Five letter word for giving a thumbs-up?" she asked, smiling at him gratefully as Jack set the coffee mug in front of her.

"Faved," Jack suggested.

Beth smirked at him. "You know they're likes now."

"Look, Wilder, I'm still bitter about that." He pouted into his mug. "Fine, _liked_."

Beth stared down at the crossword. "These clues are getting progressively more _ridiculous_ ," she complained after a moment, setting her pencil down and looking up. "We might have to come up with a new morning hobby."

"We could do trivia," Will suggested from the other side of the table before taking another bite of his toast.

"If we let you come up with trivia, we'll never get a single answer right," Jack reminded him with a chuckle. "Charades?"

Beth balked at the mere suggestion.

"I can't picture Beth doing charades," Will mused.

"Neither can I," Beth added for emphasis. "No charades."

"Maybe you'll just have to write a strongly-worded letter to the editor of the Riverport Herald about the lagging quality of their crossword puzzles," Jack suggested with a grin.

Beth looked back at him, a serious expression on her face. "Maybe I will."

"The paper boy's gonna egg the house, just watch," Jack chuckled, earning a sneer from Beth. "Come on, how bad could the clues be?"

"Bill Clinton or Barack Obama."

"Presidents."

"Three letters."

"Three letters?" Jack asked incredulously.

"Leo," Will offered. Once again, Jack and Beth both looked up at him, utterly perplexed.

"This is the moment that I'm surprised to find my older brother is into astrology," Jack laughed.

"Astrology is not real science," Will assured him, "but all those parody horoscopes are amusing."

Beth scribbled down the answer, grinning to herself. "I take it back. We're _never_ giving up the morning crosswords."


	27. Chapter 27

**July 15, 2017, 10:42 AM**

"It feels like the surface of the sun out here," Jack complained, wiping sweat out of his eyes with the back of his hand. He was glad Beth wasn't a hand-holder, otherwise he was sure his other hand would have melted.

"Serves you right for wearing black," Beth teased as they walked down the bustling sidewalk, seemingly just as impervious to heat as she seemed to be to cold.

It was a Saturday morning and they had decided to visit the local park in downtown Riverport. Jack knew it would be busy, but Beth hadn't seemed concerned, and as they approached the park Jack couldn't help but be impressed with how much she had improved in less than a year. He thought it was going to take her much longer.

"Trees!" Jack exclaimed happily as they stepped through the archway leading into the park itself. He closed his eyes with a sigh of relief as he basked in the blissfully less sweltering shade of the canopy above them. Beth also sighed, but not one of relief.

"You're lucky I don't embarrass easily," she told him, hands on her hips as she stared at him. Beth might not embarrass easily, but Jack was suddenly feeling a little on the absurd side, especially since Beth continued to look at him as if he were a fool.

Jack motioned toward a nearby bench and the two sat down. Dozens of people littered the various paths leading through the park, from parents and children to runners with their dogs. Lots of dogs, Jack noticed. "We should get a dog," he blurted accidentally.

Beth looked at him dubiously. "Jack, you can't take care of _yourself_ , much less a dog."

"I will have you know that Will and I had a dog when I was younger."

"And what happened to it?" Beth asked with a knowing look.

Jack cleared his throat. "Okay, point taken."

She eyed him curiously. "Wait, what _did_ happen to the dog?"

"He went to the farm," Jack told her, straight-faced. She looked at him with concern, prompting Jack to laugh. "A literal farm, I swear. My cousins took him after my parents died."

Beth frowned. "You gave up your dog right after you lost your parents?"

"That was Will's decision," Jack explained, rubbing the back of his neck. "So anyway, we should definitely get a dog."

Beth sighed loudly. "Sometimes I think you _are_ a dog."

"Wow," Jack exclaimed.

"The kind that has the attention span of a two-year-old," Beth clarified, satisfied to see a glare on Jack's face.

"I would be a husky," Jack assured her.

Beth laughed. "So, you agree with me."

"I-" Jack stopped, realizing he _had_ just accidentally agreed with her. This seemed to amuse her even more. "Well, you'd be a... a... _doberman._ "

"Are we having our first fight?" she asked with a smirk.

"If this is a fight, I think we're doing pretty well," Jack returned with a grin.

"Oh shit, it's Liam," Beth whispered, interrupting their pretend argument. Jack turned to follow her stare and saw Liam Burke's familiar form moving toward them. He was walking a dog. A small dog. Jack had to resist a chuckle as he drew nearer.

"Beth?" Liam asked in surprise as he noticed them on the bench. Jack's eyes widened. Monarch had never existed in this timeline, so how did Liam know Beth? He turned his head and saw that Beth was just as shocked as he was.

"Liam," she returned hesitantly, a nervous smile forming on her face.

"Damn, Beth, you just dropped off the face of the Earth," he complained as he stopped in front of the bench. Beth quickly got to her feet, yanking Jack up by the arm to join her. "When you didn't show up for work, we thought something happened to you."

"We...?" Beth asked. She was trying so hard not to sound confused, but Jack was sure Liam had noticed.

"Me and Emily," Liam explained. "You know, the woman you set me up with."

Jack could hear Beth audibly exhale. She recovered quickly, though. "Right, right."

"You know, I wasn't sure about her at first, but I should've trusted you," Liam told her, his face breaking into a warm smile. "You know, I think she might be the one."

Beth's hand clamped down on Jack's forearm, nearly cutting off his circulation. He could tell she was losing composure quickly. Jack turned his attention to Liam. "Hi, I don't think we've met," he said, drawing Liam's attention away from Beth. "I'm Jack Joyce, Beth's... uh, roommate."

"Liam Burke." He offered his hand, which Jack hesitantly took. No surprise that the guy had a grip like a vise. "Beth and I worked at the gym."

 _Ha, go figure_. "Have you known her long?" Jack asked, hoping he could get enough out of him so that Beth wouldn't be quite so in the dark.

"Since last summer," Liam returned, pausing for a moment to keep his dog from taking a bite out of a nearby mushroom. "Schwartz, cut it out."

Jack chuckled. "Schwartz?"

"Yeah," Liam replied with a chuckle. "Emily insisted on choosing the breed but let me pick the name. It's short for-"

"Schwarzenegger?" Jack guessed.

Liam nodded with a grin. "She wouldn't speak to me for _two days_."

Beth's grip on his arm tightened even more.

"You know, it's been great meeting you, but, uh, Beth and I need to get going," Jack told him, taking the obvious hint.

"Hang on a sec." Liam dug into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out a business card, then handed it to Beth. She hesitated a moment before taking it with her free hand. "I feel bad that we worked together for so long and I never got your number. Text me some time."

"It was good to meet you," Jack called after Liam as he left. He waved before disappearing into the crowd of people.

Almost immediately, Beth broke out into a full blown panic attack. She buried her head in Jack's chest and wrapped her hands around his shoulders as she tried to calm herself. Jack returned the gesture, hugging her tightly in hopes that it would help. He frowned as he could feel tears seep into his shirt.

They stood there together, in the middle of the bustling park, for what felt like years. In reality, it was only a handful of minutes. Finally, Beth slowly pulled away, looking thoroughly embarrassed as she wiped the tears off her cheek.

"You going to be okay?" Jack asked, his hands resting gently on her shoulders.

"I just... I can't..."

"Take your time." Jack motioned back toward the bench. Beth sat down first, and Jack quickly sat beside her. She let out a deep, frustrated sigh.

"Liam was the only one at Monarch that I really trusted," she explained quietly. "Which is funny, because I told myself never to trust anyone but you."

Jack filed that comment away for future interrogation.

"We were almost friends," Beth continued with weak laugh. "The closest thing I had anyway." She grunted in annoyance. "This should make me _happy_."

"It was a lot to take in all at once," Jack reminded her. "I don't like surprises either."

"I just... I can't believe _I'm_ the one that set them up, and I can't even fucking remember it."

"You know, it hadn't really occurred to me that what we did was going to change _everything_ ," Jack mentioned, reaching down to take her hand. She didn't pull away from him like she usually did, which he decided to take as a good sign. "It was easy with Will since we told him, but... we both have seventeen years unaccounted for."

" _Fuck_."

"So... what do you say we get a dog?"

Beth looked up at him, an exasperated expression on her face.

"It'd make you feel better," Jack urged with a grin. "The dog won't know what you've been doing for the last seventeen years, either."

Finally, she laughed. "Jack, I hate you."

He grinned. "I hate me too."

Beth reached up with her free hand to pull his face toward her and kissed him. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" Jack asked, eyes lighting up. "Maybe a _dog?_ "

"You realize it's _Will's_ house, right?"

"Only because he sold my parent's house without telling me," Jack pouted. "I was _not_ happy to discover that happened in _both_ timelines."

Beth frowned. "Would you have really wanted to live there, with all those memories?"

"Probably not," Jack admitted, "but I would like to have had the chance to _say_ so."

Beth suddenly broke eye contact and looked out across the park. "Oh god, which gym?"

"Huh?"

She turned back to him. "He didn't tell me which gym we went to."

"You're a mess," Jack chuckled. "Look, I'll text him for you."

"But-"

"I'm extremely charismatic," Jack reminded her. "I can weasel some info out of him before you get back in touch, and then you'll be golden."

Beth seemed either unconvinced or unimpressed.

"I'm kind of excited to get to know him, actually," Jack admitted. "Seemed like we might've gotten along if he hadn't been trying to kill me."

Beth blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Long story," Jack replied with a shrug, standing up from the bench and offering her his hand. "I'll explain on the walk home."


	28. Chapter 28

**July 28, 2017, 6:52 PM**

"I was not built for the heat," Jack complained, laying flat on his back on the couch. Even in a tank top, he felt like he was melting.

"I had no idea when we met that you would end up being the whiniest man I've ever known," Beth replied from the other end of the couch, smirking as she looked up from her book.

"I'm a mess,” Jack admitted, repositioning himself uncomfortably as he wiped the sweat off of his face with the back of his hand.

"At least we agree on one thing." Beth looked at him, then sighed and set the book down on the coffee table. "How can you possibly sweat _that_ much?"

Jack shrugged halfheartedly. "My body is like a faucet."

The disgusted look on Beth's face was priceless. After she composed herself, Beth pulled out her phone to check the time. "Let's go out and get ice cream."

Jack’s eyes followed her as Beth got up from the couch and moved toward the kitchen. She stopped and placed her hands on her hips impatiently when he failed to follow her. "You're actually serious."

Beth raised an eyebrow at him. "I never joke about ice cream."

"Well, I guess we could walk down the street to Dairy Queen, or..." Jack trailed off as he saw Beth's expression drop. " _Oh_ , this is a date."

Beth sighed and rolled her eyes. Jack's eyes, on the other hand, lit up.

"I know the _perfect_ place," he told her, jumping up from the couch and zipping past her toward the door. He slipped his flip flops on and waited for her to catch up.

"Why do I feel like I should be nervous about this?"

"Because you don't trust me, apparently," Jack told her with a smirk. "It's a perfectly safe gelato place downtown."

Beth looked at him skeptically. "You've had gelato?"

"Well, no," he admitted reluctantly, "but I've heard good things about it."

"From who?"

Jack crossed his arms and cocked his head. "Who do you think?"

"Right, nevermind." She briefly glanced down at his feet, sighing lightly, before moving to get her shoes.

"Are you judging my sandals?" Jack pouted.

Beth finished lacing her shoes and looked up at him. "Those are not _sandals_ , Jack."

"Everyone's a critic," he complained as she chuckled and dragged him toward the door.

* * *

**July 28, 2017, 7:27 PM**

Jack stood in front of the display counter in the gelato shop, frozen with indecision. It reminded him of the last time he had been in a Baskin Robbins. Thirty-one flavors were far too many.

"Are you okay?" Beth asked with a frown as she watched him stare in dismay at the tubs of gelato.

"I just..." He continued to stare. "What the hell is _avocado_ gelato?" Jack looked up at the clerk behind the counter. "What does avocado gelato even taste like?"

"Avocado," the clerk responded flatly.

Beth tried unsuccessfully to suppress a laugh. Even Jack couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, I'm not sure what I was expecting."

"Would you just pick something?" Beth pleaded with a laugh.

Beth had already ordered - some wine-flavored thing that he didn't understand - but Jack was torn between about six different flavors. If he didn't pick soon, Beth would probably order the avocado for him.

"Can I get, uhhhh..." he muttered, staring intently at the freezer display, willing himself to make a decision.

"Hazelnut," Beth whispered in his ear.

Jack turned to glance at her, then back to the clerk. "Hazelnut," he repeated, feeling a wave of relief pass over him as the clerk opened the freezer case to fill his order.

"Finally," Beth muttered from behind him.

"How do you know me better than I know me?" Jack asked with a chuckle as he paid for their food.

"I pay attention," she replied, waving him over to a table near the door.

Jack motioned for the door. "Why don't we sit outside?"

"Aren't you afraid you'll melt?" Beth countered with a smirk.

"The sun'll be down soon," he told her with a smile, pushing open the door and motioning for her to exit. He scowled as he followed her outside and the heat of the evening air hit his face. "I feel like it shouldn't be this hot this far north."

"It's barely eighty degrees," Beth chuckled, sitting down at a table.

" _Barely_ ," Jack scoffed, plopping down in the chair across from her and quickly shoveling a spoonful of gelato into his mouth. He sighed happily as he swallowed, feeling it cool its way down his throat.

"Must be global warming," Beth chuckled, eating a spoonful of her own gelato.

Jack stared at the bowl in front of Beth.  The stuff was a deep and vivid pink, a color he would never have associated with her. "I didn't think you even liked wine."

"I don't," Beth assured him, "but something about this is really good."

"Not the color," Jack chuckled.

Beth pointed her spoon at him admonishingly. "Don't be _that guy_."

"Have you ever worn pink in your life?" Jack asked with a judging stare.

"That's not the point." She took another bite, but he could see the smile creeping onto her face.

When Jack had first met Beth, she had almost never smiled. Sure, she would _smirk_ now and then after saying something particularly witty or sarcastic, but never a genuine smile. He understood why, of course. Maybe it was because they were so rare, but something about her smile was contagious.

"Do you believe in fate?" Beth asked out of the blue.

Jack cocked his head slightly. "You mean like how no matter what we did, the end of time was unavoidable?"

Beth sat back in her chair slightly, making Jack wonder if mentioning _that_ had been a mistake. "We _did_ avoid the end of time," she reminded him after a moment. "Well, _you_ did." She paused, taking another bite of her gelato. "I mean like how, no matter what we changed, Liam and Emily are still together."

"If you asked me that question a year ago, I'd have said absolutely not," Jack responded, looking at her thoughtfully. "But now..."

"I spent the first half of my life believing fate could be changed," Beth explained, "and then after... you know... after that, I lost hope. I thought our destiny was fixed. Now, I..." She sighed. "I'm rambling."

"I'm still listening."

"Do you remember when I told you to let go?" Beth asked, prompting an apprehensive nod. "I think I was right, but for the wrong reasons."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked curiously.

"I thought I had to let go, _give up_ ," she explained. "But I think we need to let go and just... let things happen. Stop worrying about them."

"Easy to say now that the end of the world isn't looming," Jack chuckled.

"True," she agreed with a laugh. "I just... I spent most of my life barely even living, and now I feel like I've been given this second chance, but I've been too afraid to take it."

"This is awfully deep for an ice cream date," Jack mused with a smirk. Beth rolled her eyes, but he could tell she wasn't mad.

She gave him an annoyed look, tempered by a wry smile. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I think I do," Jack admitted with a smile, standing up and holding out his hand. "Come on, let's go for a walk and we can talk about it some more."

Jack thought she might object, but instead she took his hand and got up from the table. He took another bite of his half-melted ice cream and smiled to himself. There might be hope for Beth Wilder yet.

* * *

**July 28, 2017, 10:37 PM**

"I can't believe we walked around _that_ long," Jack said as he and Beth walked toward the front door.

"I can't believe you drank your gelato after it completely liquefied," Beth returned with a slight grimace on her face.

"I always eat ice cream really slow." Jack laughed as they walked up the front steps. "Besides, that thing was five dollars. I wasn't going to waste it."

Jack opened the door and stepped inside, quickly shucking off his flip flops as Beth walked past him toward the living room.

The two of them had wandered around downtown Riverport for over two hours. They had talked about everything under the sun, from destiny to Jack's terrible taste in music. Usually when they talked, it was Jack speaking and Beth listening. This time was different.

Jack wasn't sure what had changed for her, but it gave him hope. Beth had been right. She had been given a second chance at a normal life, but she'd been fighting against it the entire way. Or maybe she was just afraid. Maybe they were _both_ afraid.

"Hey Beth," Jack called as he stepped into the living room. "If you hadn't, you know, accidentally kissed me, would you have ever told me how you felt?"

There was a long silence. "Probably not."

"In that case, I'm glad you have less self-control than you thought," Jack told her, hugging her.

Beth laughed lightly. "This was what put me over the edge," she told him.

"Hugging?" Jack asked with a grin.

Beth nodded. "You have _no_ idea how hard I was trying to avoid it."

"That explains a lot, in hindsight." He glanced at the TV, then turned back to Beth. "Netflix and chill?"

"I was thinking we might skip the Netflix part tonight," she suggested, glancing over her shoulder at the stairs.

Jack stared at her in confusion for a moment, and then it hit him like a truck. " _Oh_."

They stood together, just staring at each other, for what seemed like an eternity. Jack could feel his cheeks warm and he was sure his face was red enough to see from space. His fight or flight instinct was screaming at him to run and hide.

"Jack, if you're not ready..." Beth's expression was soft, understanding. But there was something else there that Jack couldn’t deny.

He shook his head. "If I wait until I think I'm ready, we'll both die of old age first."

"It'll be fine," Beth assured him with a smirk. With a deep breath, Jack took her outstretched hand and let her lead him up the stairs.


	29. Chapter 29

**July 29, 2017, 9:25 AM**

Jack yawned lightly as he stretched under the bedsheets. As his eyes fluttered open, he could see Beth still asleep next to him, head resting on his shoulder and arm wrapped around his waist.

What time was it? Jack glanced to his right to see his pants sitting haplessly in a pile on the floor. He gingerly reached his free arm out, trying to grab them. They were _just_ out of reach, and all the attempt accomplished was to rustle Beth enough to wake her.

"Trying to escape?" she asked as her eyes fluttered open.

"Just trying to check what time it is," Jack assured her, glancing back at the corner of his phone poking out from the pocket of his wayward jeans.

"It's time to stop worrying about it," Beth told him with a smirk as she pulled herself closer to him.

Jack smiled and laid his hand on top of her arm, gently stroking her skin with his fingertips. This was the calmest and most relaxed he had ever seen Beth in the entire time he'd known her. She had always had an edge of tension, even before she'd gone through hell.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" she asked after a moment of silence.

Jack laughed in spite of himself. "For me or for you?"

"You know what I meant," Beth declared with a chuckle.

"This is so sad, Alexa. Play Africa."

"Jack, we don't have-" Beth's objection was interrupted as the dulcet tones of Toto's Africa suddenly began to emanate from Jack's pants. Beth burst into laughter, eventually burying her face in his shoulder to try and stifle the sound.

"Ah crap, I don't know how to turn it off," Jack confessed as his phone moved on to the next song, stretching out once again try and grab his pants. Beth reached over him and grabbed his arm to pull him back, still laughing. After a moment of wrestling to try and free himself, Jack finally conceded with a chuckle of his own, wrapping his now free arm around Beth and kissing her.

"You still taste like hazelnut," she told him with a smirk.

Jack returned the smile. "At least I didn't get the avocado."

Beth snorted a laugh and laid her head down on his chest. "You know, I've never done this."

He glanced down at her. "I know you can't be talking about sex."

"No," Beth told him with a laugh. "I've just never, you know, stayed till morning."

"Never?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nope," Beth confirmed. "A guy did catch me sneaking out once, but..."

"I bet that went over well."

"He tried to stop me," she explained with a light shrug.

Jack winced. "How many broken bones did he end up with?"

"Very funny," she laughed in return. "I only gave him a black eye."

" _Only_ ," Jack repeated with a laugh. "Well, I'm glad you didn't sneak away from _me_."

"I actually _like_ you," Beth reminded him with a grin.

Jack chuckled. "Good."

"So, relationship expert, what are we supposed to do now?" Beth asked with a smug grin.

"Well, I like to just lay and spoon for hours," Jack replied, earning a groan. "Or... there are _other_ options, I suppose."

"Oh yeah?" she asked with a sly smile, moving closer to him. "Like what?"

* * *

  **July 29, 2017, 10:15 AM**

"Wait, you have a _date?_ "

"A man date," Jack hastily clarified as Beth stared at him. The gentle dripping of the coffee maker seemed painfully loud.

Beth narrowed her eyes at him. "With Paul?"

Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "With, uh... Liam."

"With _Liam?_ " She seemed almost annoyed.

Jack frowned. "Is that a problem?"

"I-- no, I guess not," Beth admitted with a frown of her own. It looked as if even she was baffled by her annoyance.

"I can cancel, if you want," Jack offered after a moment of awkward silence.

"No, it's fine," she insisted. "I just... it's just a little weird since he was _my_ friend, you know?"

Beth was jealous. "That's why I need to get to know him better," Jack offered with an innocent smile.

He was satisfied to see Beth finally smile as she rolled her eyes at him. "Just don't get yourself in trouble, okay?"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Is he _that_ guy?"

"He _used_ to be," Beth told him. "In the old timeline, he'd been through a lot. I..." She trailed off.

"Don't worry so much," Jack told her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We're both _great_ at making things up as we go along, and we've got plenty of time to catch ourselves up."

"I guess," she responded, glancing downward. Beth clearly wasn't convinced, but at least she didn't seem anxious about it like she had before.

"Besides," Jack continued, gently raising her chin with his hand so she could see his face, "I've got your back."

Beth's face slowly broke into a smile. "Well, if you get home late you damn well better not wake me up."

"Scout's honor," Jack assured her with a mock salute. Beth rolled her eyes and reached for the coffee pot.

* * *

  **July 29, 2017, 7:22 PM**

"So, how'd you meet Beth?"

Liam finished chewing the handful of peanuts he'd shoved in his mouth. "I could ask you the same thing."

"You could," Jack returned, taking a sip from his beer. "I asked first."

"I was in the military, and when I came back from deployment, life was... _difficult_ ," Liam began, reaching down to pick up his own bottle. He took a long quaff, then set it down on the table. "Beth and I went to the same gym. She was easy to talk to, for some reason. She put in a good word for me - got a job as a personal trainer."

"Wow." Jack had never known much about Liam, but find out he was a veteran somehow made everything make more sense. Terrible, bittersweet sense.

"She found something I could actually _do_ , you know?" Liam added with a light chuckle. "And she introduced me to Emily. I owe her. Big time."

Jack stared at the man across the table from him. Normally, Liam would be exactly the kind of guy Jack would avoid. A big, masculine, muscle-bound jock. Especially considering Liam had tried to _kill_ him. But Beth's endorsement went a long way, so Jack was trying to get as much out of him as possible.

"Your turn, Joyce," Liam declared after finishing his drink. "How'd _you_ meet Beth?"

"Uhhh..." Jack had planned for this question, but now that Liam had actually asked his mind was blank. "I met her at the University."

Liam looked at him curiously. "What was she doing at Riverport University?"

"She was, uh..." _Fuck, Jack, come on_. "She's my brother's personal trainer. She was meeting him. On campus, somewhere."

Liam stared at him for a moment, but eventually seemed to relent. "You just don't seem like her type," he added after chewing through another handful of peanuts.

"Oh really?" Jack asked, resisting the urge to smile. "What exactly is her type?"

"Tall, athletic," Liam returned, pausing for a moment before he broke into a smirk. "Simple."

Jack crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

"Hey, not trying to knock you, Joyce," Liam assured him. "Beth has just never been one for steady relationships. I'm curious what you did to get her to change her mind."

"It's a long story," Jack told him. He grabbed his beer and took a long gulp. He was thankful everyone's personality seemed to have stayed the same, including Beth's. It was easier for them both that way, and although parts of it didn't make any sense to him, Jack had no desire to think any harder about quantum physics and time travel than he'd already had to. Maybe certain things just _were_ destined.

"Anyway, just be careful with her," Liam warned. "She's flighty."

"Yeah, I know," Jack replied with a smile. "I think maybe she's met her match this time, though."

Liam smiled back. "I hope so. She deserves to be happy."

"Yeah," Jack nodded in agreement, "she does."

* * *

  **July 29, 2017, 11:21 PM**

Everything was going fine until Jack tripped over his own pants. Beth yelped in surprised as Jack tumbled into a heap next to the bed, tangled up in his jeans. He groaned in pain as Beth turned on the bedside light. She looked furious.

"I told you _not_ to wake me up," she growled. Jack groaned again, still face-down on the floor. "You had _one_ job."

"Ouch," Jack mumbled, slowly rolling over onto his back and detangling his pants. He finally freed himself of his jeans and defiantly tossed them toward the laundry bin. They landed with a thump about a foot short.

Beth continued to glare at Jack groggily as he tugged off his shirt and climbed into bed beside her. He plopped down on the pillow and breathed a deep sigh of relief, prompting a curious look. "That bad?" Beth asked, propping herself up on her elbow.

"It wasn't bad, it just... took a lot of social capital, you know?" Beth gave him with a knowing look that Jack wouldn't have expected. He was immediately distracted by a stinging in his cheek. "Do I have rug burn on my face?"

Beth, who was still clearly determined to be annoyed with him, laughed in spite of herself. "Serves you right."

Jack chuckled lightly. "Sleep, or you want to know what we talked about?"

"I guess since I'm already awake, thanks to _you_..."

"Liam told me he's a vet and you got him a job at the gym," Jack explained. "Apparently either you know the owner, or you know _everybody_ at that gym."

"I wonder if I could believably claim to have amnesia," Beth pondered, laying back down on the bed and looking up at the ceiling.

"On the bright side, he also warned me that you're flighty."

"Flighty?" she asked with a frown. "Why is this a _good_ thing?"

"I mean, with relationships," Jack clarified, "so you're pretty much the same in this timeline as you were in the original one."

Beth stared at him.

Jack looked at her with a nervous smile. "This is coming out wrong, isn't it?"

"I sure hope so."

"He just said, uh, that you weren't the type for steady relationships," Jack clarified, reaching up and rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Beth snorted. "He must like you if he _warned_ you about me," she told him. "He used to give me the dirt on the guys at Monarch, so I knew which ones to stay away from."

"Sounds like you guys were good friends."

"As good as was possible, there," she replied with a light shrug. "When he caught me helping you..." Beth trailed off, breaking eye contact and looking at the ceiling. Jack had only heard the tail end of their stand-off, but he now realized how much it must have hurt Beth for Liam to think she betrayed him.

"If I hadn't taken your gun, would you have shot him?" Jack asked curiously after a moment.

"I wanna say yes, but I don't think I could have."

"And if I hadn't taken his...?"

Beth was silent. "I don't want to think about it."

Jack leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "For what it's worth, I don't think he would have."

"We'll never know," she reminded him, "but I hope you're right."

"Well," Jack continued, wrapping an arm around her waist, "now you get a do-over without Monarch putting all those guns in the way."

Beth smiled, turning her head and gently kissing him. "I kind of miss the guns, to be honest."

"What do you need a gun for?" Jack asked with a laugh.

"Well, for those guys at Bradbury, for starters."

"Jesus Christ, Beth," Jack chuckled. "Go back to sleep."

Beth smiled, then rolled onto her side and pulled Jack's arm around her tighter. "My pleasure."


	30. Chapter 30

**August 12, 2017, 11:12 AM**

"Son of a _bitch!_ " Paul shouted angrily as his shot went wide by mere inches. He tossed his club down and Jack watched as it bounced away from him.

"I guess I should have anticipated that you would take mini-golf too seriously," Jack mused, trying to hold back a smile. "I thought you'd be better at it, though, with all that putting you claim to have done."

"There are no windmills on _real_ golf courses, Jack," Paul explained, pointing to the numerous hazards littering the mini-golf course.

Jack crossed his arms, giving his friend a judgmental smirk. "You know, I once got a hole in one with a rock."

"Not helping, Jack."

"Finally, something I'm better at than you," Jack proclaimed triumphantly as Paul picked his golf club back up from its resting place in the middle of the course.

"There are lots of things you're better at than me," Paul reminded. "Like committing crimes."

"That's a bald-faced lie," Jack accused. "You and I both did the same crimes, but somehow I'm the one that got _caught._ I think that makes you better at crime than me."

Paul rolled his eyes, gesturing toward the course. "Your turn."

Jack set his bright green golf ball down and carefully lined up his shot. With one deft stroke, he sent the ball streaking across the course toward the hole. Paul groaned loudly as it bounced off of the course wall and dropped neatly into the hole.

"How do you _do_ that?" Paul asked.

"Patience," Jack replied with a smirk. "And some luck."

Jack quickly fetched his ball and the two men headed toward the next hole. "I need your advice," Paul told him after a moment.

"Think less about winning and more about how to actually get the ball in the hole," Jack offered as Paul set his ball down.

"Not about mini-golf," Paul told him with an annoyed sigh.

"Oh."

"It's about Sofia," Paul explained after a moment. "As someone with numerous failed relationships-"

"Hey, you gotta go easier on yourself."

"I meant you, Jack."

"What?" Jack protested.

Paul, leaning on his golf club and putting his free hand on his hip. "Becky."

"Hey, that wasn't my fault."

"Janet."

" _Definitely_ not my fault."

Paul's face twisted into a triumphant smirk. "Us."

"That-" Jack paused. "Okay, that one was my fault."

Paul turned his attention to the course, taking a moment to line up his shot before sending his ball careening off toward the hole. It rolled just past the hole, leaving Paul to growl in renewed annoyance.

"So, you need advice from me?" Jack reminded him. "I thought you and Sofia weren't a _thing_."

"We're not," Paul confirmed. "Yet."

"Yet?" Jack repeated. "I mean I know in the other timeline she had a thing for you, but-"

"How do you know that?" Paul interrupted with a frown. "Did you go through my things?"

"Hey, in my defense you were trying to _kill_ me," Jack reminded him, holding up his hands defensively. "I think you waived your right to privacy."

Paul looked even more annoyed by this than he had been at the mini-golf windmill, but his features softened after a moment. "You're right. I might have done the same thing in your position."

"So, what's the deal with you and Amaral?"

Paul sighed. "I know how Sofia felt about me, of course. She wasn't the only one to be... _infatuated_ with me. But Sofia was the only thing keeping me going, the only one who could create my treatments. I couldn't risk alienating that."

"How do you feel about her?"

"I don't know, Jack," Paul admitted, his voice tinged with frustration. Paul Serene was all about being in control, so Jack knew that losing that control must be hard for him. "I spent so much time keeping that wall between us secure that now I don't know what I actually feel."

Jack smirked. "She asked you out, didn't she?"

"What do I do?" Paul asked with pleading eyes.

"Do whatever you want," Jack told him with a shrug. "I mean, it's not like she's keeping you alive anymore. What's the worst that can happen if it doesn't go well?"

"That's true," Paul mused to himself, stroking his chin and looking away slightly. After a moment, he turned his attention back to his friend. "Thank you, Jack."

"No problem," Jack shrugged in return, a grin forming on his face as Paul set his ball down on the ground. "After all the times you helped me, the least I can do is give you some extremely basic relationship advice."

"This course looks more like a pinball machine," Paul complained as he lined up his shot. With one swift stroke, Paul's ball went streaking across the green, bouncing off of several obstacles before landing in the corner, a decent distance from the hole. "You won't do any better than me on _this_ course."

"Just watch me," Jack replied confidently, moving forward and placing his ball. He tapped it gently, watching as it bounced around haplessly before landing slightly behind Paul's. _Well, I can't be right all the time, I guess_.

"Jack, did you tell Beth what we were doing today?"

"What?" Jack asked, turning his attention toward Paul. He had his cell phone in his hand, though his gaze was fixed on Jack. "Wait a second. Is that...? You... she...?"

"She didn't tell you." It was a statement more than a question. Paul clearly wasn't surprised. But Jack sure was.

"How long have you two been talking?" Jack asked, leaning on his club and running a hand through his hair.

"Jack, it's not important--"

" _How long?_ "

Paul shifted uncomfortably. "Four months, give or take."

"Four months, god damn."

"I'm sorry, Jack, I thought she would have told you." Paul peered at him, his brow furrowing slightly. "You're angry."

"I'm not mad," Jack told him, "I'm just... confused."

"She said you're the one that told her she should talk to me."

"I did," Jack admitted, "I just didn't think she'd actually _listen_ to me."

Paul chuckled lightly. "Maybe _that's_ why she didn't tell you."

"What, because she didn't want to admit it was a good idea?" Jack paused. "Yeah, that's probably it."

"It's not like we're friends, Jack," Paul assured him, hefting his club and moving toward the green. "I'm not about to risk showing up to your house uninvited."

"I don't think she'd try to kill you this time, Paul," Jack told him, chuckling as Paul's putt completely missed the hole yet again. "You're actually terrible at golf, aren't you?"

Paul swore loudly, turning away from the hole angrily. "I hate this game, Jack."

"I wonder if Beth would like mini-golf," Jack mused as he stepped toward his ball.

"Doubtful," Paul replied, "although I'm sure she would still win."

"I'm pretty sure she always wins at everything." Jack smiled victoriously as he batted his ball into the hole. "That's why I invited _you_ and not _her_."

"I resent that you only invited me so you could win," Paul complained. He tapped his ball into the hole, then reached down to grab it. "How about we quit while you're ahead and go out for drinks instead?"

"You paying?"

Paul rolled his eyes. "If it gets you to let us stop playing this godforsaken game, I will buy you as many flavorless beers as you want."

Jack grinned, picking up his own ball and handing it to Paul. "You just spoke the magic words, my friend."

"You never answered me about Beth," Paul reminded him, waving his phone at Jack.

"What, did she text you asking where I was?" Jack asked, laughing as Paul nodded affirmatively. "If I had known you two were on speaking terms, I would have just _told_ her."

Paul quickly thumbed a response into his phone, then slid it into his pocket. "Come on, Jack, let's go have some actual fun."

"I was having plenty of fun already," Jack shrugged. "What did you tell her?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"Wait, Paul-"

"Relax," he chuckled, heading toward the parking lot. "Still, you might want to talk to her when you get home."

"Paul fucking Serene, what did you say?" Jack demanded, chasing after him. Paul just laughed.

 


	31. Chapter 31

**August 12, 2017, 3:42 PM**

"That's not a real word," Beth complained, looking down at the Scrabble board with a frown.

"Of course it is," Will replied matter-of-factly. "A kaon is-"

"Don't explain it," Beth interrupted with a sigh and a wave of her hand. "I won't understand anyway."

Beth looked down at the scorecard. Of course Will had dropped the K on a triple letter score, but even so Beth was still winning, _barely_. She crossed her arms and stared at her tiles. She glanced up briefly as she heard the doorknob turn.

"About time Jack came home," Will mentioned, pointing to the board. "Your turn."

"I'm thinking," Beth barked defensively, looking back down at her tiles. Her concentration was broken as she heard a loud crash, which she assumed was Jack, and a very familiar sound that was definitely _not_ Jack. Beth looked up just in time to see a white blur racing toward her, and she barely had time to jump out of her chair before it tackled her, sending her crashing to the floor.

" ** _JACK JOYCE_**."

Jack's raucous laughter echoed from the end of the hallway, where he was still sprawled out on the floor. With some quick help from Will, Beth was able to free herself from her attacker, though much to her distress she discovered that the struggle had jostled the table enough to have knocked all the Scrabble tiles off of the board.

"Jack, I was _finally_ winning!" Beth complained, quickly taking a moment to get her bearings. Will was holding what appeared to be a very large, very wiggly puppy. An abandoned leash dangled from the collar around its neck. Beth scowled, then stalked toward Jack, staring at him a moment as he continued to laugh. "Are you _drunk?"_

"You should see your face," he told her between laughs, pointing up, then bursting back into laughter.

"Jack Joyce, did you _drunk-adopt a dog???_ " she asked in exasperation. Beth turned back to Will for support, but he just shrugged.

With a roll of her eyes, Beth reached down to grab Jack's shirt and hauled him to his feet. She regretted the decision as he almost immediately fell forward into her, nearly knocking them both over. She groaned with exertion as she helped steady him.

"He's cute," Jack told her, a giddy lopsided grin spreading across his face.

"Jack, it's not even four o'clock and you are falling down drunk, and... and..." Beth gestured dramatically at Will and the puppy, "you _brought home a dog._ "

"His name is Gerald," Jack explained.

Beth looked at the dog, then back at Jack. "Oh no, that dog's name is _not_ Gerald." Beth turned and looked pleadingly at Will. "Say _something_."

"It's a good dog," Will replied, shrugging lightly as the puppy tried to lick his face. Beth growled in annoyance.

"Come on," Beth ordered with a grumpy sigh, half-dragging Jack into the living room and finally managing to deposit him on the couch. He continued to chuckle as he sank into the cushions.

"What are we going to do with this dog?" Will asked as Beth stalked away from the couch, phone in hand.

"I don't know," she replied, "but I am going to fucking _kill_ Paul Serene."

* * *

**August 12, 2017, 7:52 PM**

Jack groaned as his eyes fluttered open. "What year is it...?"

"That's a loaded question," Beth replied from the dining room. She got up from the table and headed toward the kitchen.

"I'm gonna kill Paul," Jack mumbled, putting his arm over his face.

"Get in line." Beth returned from the kitchen with a glass of water, setting it down on the coffee table before moving to the end of the couch. "Move your legs."

Jack carefully pushed himself into a sitting position, careful not to move too quickly. He couldn’t remember how much he’d had to drank, but his stomach was telling him not to test it. "How'd I get home?" he asked after a moment.

Beth laughed loudly, much to his surprise. "Tell me you don't remember _anything_."

 _Uh oh_. "I remember Paul losing really badly at mini-golf, and then he dragged me to a bar, and..." Jack paused. "Oh. Oh _no_."

"Oh no is right," Beth repeated, crossing her arms and giving him 'the look'.

Jack popped his head above the couch and quickly scanned the room. "Where is it? Did you...?"

"Will is taking Toto for a walk."

"Wait," Jack began, squinting his eyes to drown out the light. "Did... did you name the dog after _yourself?_ "

"Well we _definitely_ weren't keeping the name Gerald," she explained matter-of-factly.

Jack stared at her for a moment. "So... we're keeping him...?"

"You wanted a dog, _apparently_ ," she responded with a shrug and a subtle roll of her eyes.

"I would hug you," Jack told her with a childish smile, "but I'm afraid if I move too quickly, I'll throw up on you instead."

Beth shook her head with a laugh. "You know, I'm _extremely_ impressed that you drunk-bought a dog _and_ dog food," she told him with a smirk. "You are a very responsible drunk."

Jack chuckled to himself after a moment. "I just remembered how he literally knocked you over when I got home."

"Of course you had to remember that," Beth sighed. "How old is that dog, anyway?"

"I think they said six months."

"How big are pit bulls supposed to _be_ at six months?" Beth asked incredulously. "That thing is like a bulldozer."

"I picked him because he reminded me of you," Jack explained with a grin.

Beth rolled her eyes again. "Drink your water, Joyce."

Jack repositioned himself and laid back down with his head in Beth's lap, with only a weak objection.

"If you think being cute is going to get you off the hook-"

"You think I'm cute?" Jack interrupted.

"Not the point."

"You think I'm cute," Jack repeated with a grin.

Beth sighed loudly, running her fingers gently through his hair. "You are _lucky_ that I do."

"Yeah, I _am_ lucky to have you."

"That's not what I meant," Beth replied, trying to hold back a smile.

"So, you named the dog Toto..."

"My dog, my name," Beth told him with a smirk.

Jack chuckled. "I'll deal with it."


	32. Chapter 32

**August 20, 2017, 11:02 AM**

"He keeps staring at me."

Beth turned to look at Jack, eyebrow raised and a hint of a smile forming on her face. "He's a dog, Jack."

"Yeah, but..." Jack trailed off as he stared back at Toto, who was laying in the grass several feet away. The dog tilted his head slightly but made no effort to break eye contact. "He's creeping me out."

"He's _your_ dog," Beth shrugged, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a dog treat. Toto immediately sprang to his feet and trotted toward her, happily gobbling up the treat from her outstretched hand.

"Oh sure, when it's time to name him he's _your_ dog, but when he's being weird he's _my_ dog."

Beth chuckled lightly, ignoring Jack and patting Toto on the head. He hopped up on the park bench next to her and laid his head down in her lap.

"He likes you better than me," Jack complained with a petulant frown, reaching over to pet the dog. He stopped short as a low growl escaped Toto's mouth.

"He's smart," Beth explained with a smirk.

Jack crossed his arms and pouted. "Does he know he owes his adoption to me?"

"I think technically he owes his adoption to Paul," Beth corrected, absentmindedly scratching behind Toto's ear, much to the dog's obvious delight.

When Jack had brought the dog home a week prior, Beth had been _furious_ with him for about... twenty whole minutes. Jack, luckily, had been unconscious for the majority of those twenty minutes, having quickly passed out on the couch from overconsumption.

Toto, as Beth had named him, was a mottled white and black pit bull with a black patch over his left eye and ear and a few large spots on his back. His uncropped ears, which were still too large for his head, flopped down on either side of him. He was already massive, despite being barely half a year old, and Beth didn't seem to mind that he was all but laying in her lap.

Toto's eyes closed and his tongue lolled out of his mouth as Beth continued to pet him. Jack, of course, continued to pout. _Go figure the dog I adopt hates me_.

"You got a dog?"

Beth's head snapped up at the sound of Liam's voice. Somehow he had managed to sneak up on them with Schultz in tow, and Jack felt his anxiety begin to creep up the back of his neck.

Pit bulls were not particularly known for playing well with other dogs, but Toto seemed more curious than anything. He hopped down off the bench as Liam and Schultz stopped next to the bench, carefully sniffing at the strangers. A low whine escaped his mouth as Schultz plopped down in front of him.

"They seem to like each other," Liam mentioned, smiling as he glanced between the two of them. "What's his name?"

"Toto," Beth answered casually, smiling as the pit bull looked up at her in confusion.

Liam chuckled. "You named your dog after the band?"

"Something like that," Beth agreed with a smirk.

Jack was happy to see her finally comfortable around Liam. He had spent weeks texting back and forth with Liam, working to get as many details about his relationship with Beth as he could without drawing any suspicion. He had a whole notebook at home that Beth had studied to make sure their future interactions would seem normal, and it seemed to pay off. Jack was glad because he was starting to feel like a stalker.

"You know, I was actually hoping to run into you here," Liam continued as the two dogs continued to sniff each other. "Are the two of you busy tonight?"

Beth glanced at Jack as subtly as she could - a warning glance if ever he'd seen one - but Jack just shrugged. "Not really," he responded, much to Beth's obvious irritation, "why?"

"Emily and I are going out tonight and I thought you two might want to come with us," Liam suggested. He seemed surprised when Beth laughed.

"You mean like a double date?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah," Liam returned with a confused frown. "I mean if it's a problem then-"

"We'd love to join you," Jack answered before Beth could respond. He placed a hand on her thigh, both to comfort her and keep her from saying anything. It worked, although he was sure he'd be getting an ear full later.

"Great, then I'll see you tonight," Liam replied with a grin. "We were planning on 8 o'clock at Francesca's. You know the place?"

Beth nodded with a laugh. "We had our first date there."

Jack turned to look at her with a frown. Their first date hadn't been at Francesca's, it had been at... _Oh... my God. She thought that was a date_. That explained why she had looked at him so strangely when he'd suggested it.

Beth clearly noticed his sudden discomfort and patted his leg with a smile. Jack closed his eyes and sighed, smiling slightly. It served him right - it sort of _had_ been a date, after all.

"See you at eight, then," Liam told them with a smile before tugging lightly on Schwartz's leash. The corgi, who had managed to curl up with Toto, barked in protest. Toto whined sadly as his new friend departed.

"Good to know Toto's alright with other dogs," Jack mentioned as Liam disappeared into the park. "I was worried we'd have a fight on our hands."

"Only between you and me," Beth returned, her previously jovial expression dropping into a glare.

"This'll be good for us," Jack assured her, leaning away from her slightly. She rolled her eyes.

"I _would_ have said yes if you'd let me."

Jack hesitated before responding. She was right - he should have trusted her. "I'm sorry, Beth."

She let out a deep breath before standing up, tugging on Toto's leash as she began walking out of the park. He whined in annoyance, but quickly got up and followed her. Jack similarly pushed himself to his feet and fell into step behind them. She was definitely annoyed, and he deserved it.

"I'll get you the good cheesecake," he offered after a moment, smiling nervously as she and the dog both stopped to look at him. Beth stared at him, her expression stony, but after a painfully long moment, her face broke into a smile.

"You're impossible to stay mad at, Jack Joyce," Beth announced, shaking her head as she turned and continued walking.

Jack sighed in relief as he jogged to catch up. "How do you think I've survived this long?"

"Sometimes I really wonder."

* * *

**August 20, 2017, 6:02 PM**

Jack checked the time on his phone again, then glanced over his shoulder. Beth was still in the bathroom, where she had been for the last twenty minutes. Much to her dismay, he had checked ten minutes previous to make sure she was _physically_ okay, which left one of two things. Either she was getting ready, which seemed unlikely, or she was panicking.

If he called in after her again, he risked her canceling the entire evening. While he knew it would be awkward for both of them, he would be lying if he wasn't looking forward to going out. He hadn't taken Beth on very many _real_ dates, so he didn't want to let the opportunity pass by.

Finally, Beth emerged from the bathroom and judging from the look on her face she was going to need a morale booster. Jack said nothing as she rounded the edge couch and plopped down next to him with a defeated sigh.

"This is going to be a disaster," Beth declared after a moment of silence.

"It'll be fine," Jack assured her, wrapping his arm around her and letting her sink into his shoulder. "You've studied the Liam Bible so much it's falling apart."

Beth smirked. "It's just a legal pad, Jack."

"Yeah, well you nearly tore out a few of the pages," Jack reminded her with a grin, happy to hear her chuckle lightly. "You'll be _fine_."

"You better back me up if I'm not," she demanded.

Jack smiled as he leaned over and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Promise."

The two of them sat there like that together for several minutes. Usually, Jack was uncomfortable by long periods of silence, but this time it felt right. Beth's arm reached around his waist as she wriggled her way even closer to him. Jack rested his chin on top of her head and rested his free hand on her arm.

"What if I say something dumb?" she finally asked without moving.

Jack looked down at her with a smirk. "Just tell him I'm rubbing off on you."

"That's completely believable," Beth agreed with a chuckle.

"You know, sometimes I forget alternate universe Liam could kill me."

"He still can," Beth told him very matter-of-factly.

Jack laughed. "That's comforting."

"So can I."

Jack pulled back slightly to see her looking up at him innocently. "Thanks for reminding me."

"Any time," she laughed. "So... what if _Liam_ says something dumb?"

"You're overthinking this," Jack assured her. "It'll be totally fine, and then we'll come home and eat the extra slices of cheesecake we're going to get to go, and we'll... I dunno, watch Whose Line Is It Anyway."

"You have terrible taste in TV, Jack," Beth accused with a laugh.

"Maybe," Jack agreed with a grin, "but so do you."

"You win this time, Jack Joyce."

He kissed her head again. "When we watch Whose Line, we both win."


	33. Chapter 33

**August 20, 2017, 8:23 PM**

"So, how did you two meet?"

Jack and Beth had prepared for this question, but somehow when Emily finally asked all of Jack's answers disappeared. He glanced at Beth, hoping he didn't look as panicked as he felt.

"Jack's brother introduced us," Beth answered her without missing a beat. "Will had a hard time getting away from campus, so I used to make house calls... so to speak."

They were halfway through their dinner and Jack had to admit that, even as nervous as she was, Beth was doing admirably. Better than _him_ for sure. He couldn't put his finger on what had spooked him, seeing as how he had never even met Emily, but he was relieved that Beth was picking up the slack.

"So, when I said I was hoping to run into you at the park today, it wasn't just to catch up," Liam finally admitted, glancing briefly at Emily. "Emily and I are, well, uh..."

"We're engaged," Emily finished for him.

" _Oh_ ," Beth replied in surprise. Jack wasn't sure if she was actually surprised, or had simply forgotten that they weren't married yet in this timeline.

"Congratulations," Jack added as sincerely as he could.

"Thanks," Liam smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I could have just sent you an invitation, Beth, but after everything we've been through together I wanted to invite you personally."

_Now_ Beth seemed at a loss for words. She had told him before they left that she hadn't been able to go to his wedding last time. Now she seemed like she might be getting emotional, which was definitely something she wouldn't want any of them to see.

"When is it?" Jack asked when Beth didn't respond.

"October 9th."

_You have got to be fucking kidding me_. Jack blinked twice. "Did you say... October 9th?"

"I know it's short notice, but we didn't want to wait," Liam explained. "If you can't make it, I'll totally understand."

"No, it's fine," Beth assured him, taking a deep breath and forcing a smile. "We'll be there."

"Awesome," Liam said with a grin. "There is, uh, _one_ other thing."

_What more could this guy possibly throw at us?_

"What is it?" Beth asked curiously as Liam glanced briefly at Emily.

"I, uh... want you to be my best man." Beth _gaped_ at him. "Er, best woman... I guess?"

Jack held back his amusement at Liam's gender fumbling, knowing that Beth wouldn't find it nearly as entertaining. He placed a hand on her leg under the table, hoping his touch would help calm her down. It didn't seem to be working.

"I, um... uhhh, I can't... I can't do speeches," she finally managed to stammer.

Liam looked at her in confusion. "What?"

Even Emily sighed. "The best man usually does the toast at the reception," she explained.

" _Oh_ ," Liam replied, chuckling bashfully. "I mean, you don't have to give a speech if you don't want. I can get one of my brothers to do that."

"You really want _me_ to do this instead of one of your friends, or one of your brothers?" Beth asked, crossing her arms tightly and trying not to look the way Jack knew she felt.

Liam frowned. "You _are_ my friend, Beth."

"I--" Beth exhaled sharply. "Right, yeah."

"Hey, if you're not comfortable I won't take it personally."

"No, it's just, um..." Beth took a deep breath. "I'd be honored."

Liam beamed at her, and Beth smiled weakly in response. Jack was proud of her, but she was clearly still uncomfortable with the whole thing. With another smile, she politely excused herself from the table. Several minutes passed before anyone spoke.

"Do you think she's alright?" Emily finally asked. "Maybe I should check on her."

_That'll go over well_ , Jack thought to himself. But before he could say anything, Emily too had excused herself, leaving only Jack and Liam at the table.

"How did you say you two met?" Liam asked after a moment of silence. The look on his face suggested he didn't believe Beth's story, and Jack realized that despite his more amiable demeanor, Liam Burke was very much still the exact same man he had always been.

"Through my brother," Jack repeated.

Liam stared at him a moment, then took a long sip from his glass. "Is Beth okay?"

"I'm sure it's nothing," Jack returned with a shrug.

"No, I mean in general," Liam clarified with a serious look on his face. "She disappears for _months,_ and then she just shows back up with you, and she seems... different."

Alright, so Liam wasn't _completely_ oblivious. Jack took a long drink from his own glass as he considered carefully how to respond. "It's not my place to talk about it, and I wouldn't ask her if I were you because she won't _want_ to, but Beth went through... some stuff. We're getting through it, but it's made her a little jumpy."

Liam continued to stare at him for a moment, but then simply nodded. "I get it."

"She'll be alright," Jack assured him with a smile.

"Thanks for taking care of her," Liam responded with a solemn smile. "She's a good a person and she deserves it."

"Don't tell her that," Jack warned with a mischievous grin. "She might blush."

Liam chuckled. "Now there's something I'd never expect to see."

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack could see Beth and Emily walking back toward the table together. He wondered if the two of them had a similar conversation, though he promised himself he wouldn't ask.

"That was quick," Liam mentioned as the two sat back down at the table. "So, where were we?"

Beth shot Jack a warning glance, at least partially confirming his suspicions. He would _definitely_ not ask her about it.

* * *

**August 20, 2017, 9:56 PM**

By the time Jack finished paying for the cab, Beth was nearly to the door. Instead of heading inside, she took a sharp right turn toward the garage. He knew what _that_ meant.

"Hey, wait up!" Jack called after her as the taxi sped away.

"I need to... pick up something heavy," she explained as she pushed open the garage's side door. He could tell Beth was frazzled. She had been eerily silent the entire trip home, and Jack should have known that it was only delaying the inevitable.

"You need a spotter," he reminded her as she reached down to grab extra weights for the bench press. Jack remembered the last time he'd seen her stress lift and wanted to make sure she didn't end up crushed under the weight of her own anxiety, literally _or_ figuratively.

Beth glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as she finished securing the weights to the bar. It wasn't as much as the last time, but it would still pose a challenge - one she could control.

"You can always change your mind, you know," Jack suggested as Beth laid down on the bench.

"Jack," she chided, looking up at him with an annoyed frown.

"You shouldn't just bottle this up," he reminded her with a frown of his own. Jack didn't want to pressure her, but he knew what happened when Beth kept things inside. She knew too.

Jack knew better than to try to get in her way. She easily unracked the bar herself, letting it sink toward her chest before pushing it back. He'd watched her lift quite a few times, and every time he found himself staring in awe. At first, it was just healthy respect. Jack could bench a reasonable amount, but nowhere _near_ what Beth could. Now that they were in a relationship, he found it downright distracting.

"Of all the days he could have picked," she began with a grunt, "he had to pick _that_ day."

"It's a coincidence." It didn't even _sound_ earnest.

Beth scoffed, grunting again as she pushed the bar up. "The universe is laughing at us, Jack."

"It's been doing that to _me_ for years," he reminded her with a chuckle, although she didn't seem amused. "Look, maybe it's a sign."

"A sign of the apocalypse, maybe."

"Maybe it's a _good_ sign," Jack clarified with an annoyed look. "Besides, it'll give you something better to remember when you think of October 9th."

Beth paused as the bar dropped, resting it on her chest for a moment as she looked up at him. "The memories aren't _all_ bad."

Jack found himself smiling slightly as she continued to lift. The implication was obvious even to him, and it was flattering enough that he wondered if he was blushing. She wasn't paying attention, though, considering how much weight she had put on that damn bar.

"I'll be with you the whole way," Jack promised, smiling down at her as she did another rep.

"Thanks, Jack."

There was a moment of silence between them as she continued her set. "You know, there is _one_ other thing the best man has to do."

"Hm?"

"The bachelor party." Beth nearly dropped the bar. Jack just barely managed to grab it, struggling to set it down on the rack before bursting into laughter.

"That wasn't funny, Jack!" Beth shouted as she sat up on the bench and looked at him. It was her 'I'm pretending to be mad at you because I'm supposed to' look.

"I'm sorry," he replied between laughs. "I can help if you want."

Beth rolled her eyes. "You think I can't plan a bachelor party?"

Well, _that_ piqued his interest. "You have something in mind?"

She stood up from the bench and turned toward him, patting him lightly on the chest. "Don't you worry, Jack Joyce."

His eyes trailed after her as she began to walk away. "Hey wait up!"

As he moved to chase after her, Jack could hear Beth chuckling as she stepped through the door and headed toward the house.


End file.
